Blurring Your Perspective
by SlothKeeper
Summary: AU. Four wizards, abandoned by their family, have cast away their names. They just want to have fun causing minor havoc. But with two sides of a war wanting them on their side, they can't go raiding Diagon Alley for fun anymore.
1. The Four Blurs of Diagon Alley

Sloth: Hello world of fanfiction! I'm Sloth Keeper, Sloth for short and I would like to introduce to you a brand new story I've come up with. This idea came to me on the first day of school. It is an completely AU story with a slight Bleach crossover. however, I am only using concepts from Bleach and not the characters. I would like to point out that there are only two OC's for this story. I hope you enjoy it.

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or the concepts from Bleach. I only own the plot and two OC characters.

ps, Bleach is an odd name.

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**The Four Blurs of Diagon Alley**

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They were running through the street. Faster and faster, picking up speed and their feet connected and bounced off the ground. It was the same as yesterday, and the day before. They weaved in and out of the alley, trying to elude capture, all the while laughing their bloody heads off. Any passer bier would only catch a glimpse of blurring colors. Black. Brown. Red. Yellow. Only the sound of laughter would be heard from these four blurs before they vanished into a corner, their pursuer losing any hope to catch them now. For once they turned the corner; those four would be long gone in the world of ignorant humans, unaware of the world that secretly lived beside them.

And thus was the story of the Four Blurs as they were called in Diagon Alley. Every day a shop would be robbed, no matter how well they were prepared, by four teens. Sometimes it was just one of them, other times it was two, but the worst were when all four got involved. It was impossible to catch them. They would either use unknown magic to distract their pursuer, or they were just too fast. They had once even managed to outwit an Auror that got in their way.

These childish raids had all begun randomly one day. At first it was just food they stole. Then, as the year progressed, and the four got more daring, they starting stealing clothes, books, toys, but never anything they couldn't carry on their person. Sometimes they would give the citizens of Diagon Alley a reprieve, but that would only be a day before they started again. And no one knew when or where they came from. It was as if the wind carried them from place to place. The Four Blurs were unstoppable.

Outside Diagon Ally, in a small apartment across a rundown orphanage, the "Four Blurs" arrived, laughing. This was their safe haven, their one and only solace from the Wizarding World. Not even those pesky Hogwarts owls could find them. Well, some did, but they never got sent back. Raven hair darted for the mini fridge and collected four bottles of butterbeer.

"To another successful raid," he said cheerfully, handing the other three to his childhood friends. As he sat down, he took out his shrunken prizes: two books, a new cloak, and a fake wand. He felt an additional presence in his pocket and pulled out a heart-shaped key chain. He raised an eyebrow at the brunette by the door. "Care to explain Autumn?"

"What?" She began, pulling back a strand of her frizzy hair, "I ran out of room in my pockets."

"That doesn't mean you can use us as shopping bags." The red haired boy remarked, "Imagine what Raven would have done if you stuffed a tampon in his pocket."

"Wet himself most likely." The slick haired blond joked. Raven glared at the boy.

"Shut up Blondie."

"It's Bleach!"

"You watch way too much anime," Autumn sniggered. "Red, could you pass the remote."

"No way, I'm not going to let you put on a lame soap opera."

"I am not going to put on a soap operate."

"The Secret Life of an American Teenager _is_ a soap opera."

"It is not!" Autumn growled. Raven and "Bleach" rolled their eyes. It had been like this ever since they had first met ten years ago.

They had all been abandoned or had lost their family when they were young. The orphanage across the street had been their first meeting point. It was the only place that would accept four street urchins. As time went on, the four ventured out of the orphanage, which a week later burned to the ground because of a gas leak. They had been on the streets for six years, stealing in order to survive. They had thrown away the labels given to them at birth, preferring to call one another by their codenames; which incidentally just happened to be their hair color. As Bleach was suddenly pulled into the argument by his two companions, Raven became to reminisce about the past.

They had all come from different families. Autumn had arrived at the orphanage because her parents had both been killed in a car wreck. She had been the last to join their quartet, starting off as a shy girl before flourishing into a strong, independent teenager. And her right hook wasn't that bad either. Then there was Red, who had come from a large family. So large in fact that when he wandered away from his mum, no one knew he disappeared. He had been accidentally abandoned by his family and that might have been the most painful of them all. He was a hot tempered guy, who was the first to charge into a fight. However, he was the most protective, being the oldest by a month. If anyone was caught bulling Red's "charges", the boy would make sure the bully was never seen again.

Then there was Bleach and himself. They shared the strongest bond because of how they had been abandoned. They were not taken away from their families because of some careless act, but were willingly given away. Bleach had come from a pompous family with horrific ideals. His father in particular wanted him to be as heartless and prejudice as him. The man's back hand kept his mother from saying anything that would disagree with him and when Bleach decided to stand up for his mum, he was beaten and thrown into muggle London. As for himself, his family cared only for one and he left before he ended up starving to death in his room. Had he not found Bleach wandering the streets, the two would have been dead long ago.

"Raven….Raven…Oi Harry!"

He looked up, a scowl on his face at the mention of his former name.

"What _Ron_?" Harry asked bitterly. Ron returned the glare but calmed. Everyone knew that Raven hated his former name. It tied him with the family that cared nothing for him. They never blamed him if he retaliated with their former names. In fact, they were all like that. Calling them by their former selves would always result in a hateful look. Although if you were to call Bleach "Malfoy" you would have gotten your throat slit.

"We wanted to know if you wanted to come with us to get food. It was the one thing Blondie forgot to get."

Bleach growled, but ignored the jibe. It was an ongoing joke to call the former aristocrat "Blondie" because he really did use to have golden blond hair. It was only as he reached puberty that his hair started to naturally bleach itself. Not to mention the name Bleach was utterly ridiculous, but he was adamant about the name. Said it made him sound cool, to which the others just laughed in his face.

"Um sure. Where are we going?"

"Well I'd like to go to a fancy place. Maybe we could that little French café down on Elm Street."

"You would Granger." Bleach teased. Autumn kicked him in the shin. Out of the four of them, she was the only one who allowed people to call her by her former name because she had no true ill ties to it. However, it was only if she liked them.

"I was thinking we could try a new restaurant I heard about in Hogsmeade." Raven suggested. Red cringed.

"You sure about that mate? It's cutting it close to Hogwarts."

Another thing the four of them had in common. They were untrained wizards. Well, untrained by Ministry standards. They all enjoyed the thrill and adventure of the streets too much to try and go to a learning environment. Besides, why train using a wand when there were other ways to learn how to use magic? Some that were a lot cooler and more beneficial. They did have one teacher though, a man who could pass as a father to them if he didn't globe trot all the time. The man had taught them for five years on an oriental form of magic from Japan. They've been using it in order to survive.

"I'm sure Red. Besides, if anyone tries anything," Raven walked over and unsheathed the katana that was hanging from the wall of the apartment. It was one of four that they kept and use for "wands". Each looked the same, but could be identified by the different colored thread that wrapped around the hilt. His happened to be a dark crimson. Autumn owned the blade with a sky blue hilt while Red's was the one with bright orange. As for Bleach, his was a pure black hilt. The four of them carried these weapons with them every time they ventured beyond Diagon Ally or muggle London. Not only did the clean, sharp blades scare the crap out of people, but they had some additional surprises.

"Well then, let's go," Autumn said after shrinking and pocketing her sword. "Bleach will pay."

"I paid last time!" he exclaimed.

"Yes you did, but you paid with my wallet." She lit a fire and produced a sack of floo powder she had stolen from the Leaky Cauldron last week. "Last one there gives Bleach their wallet." And with that she was gone in a blaze of green. The boys stared at one another before they jumped for the sack.

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Hogsmeade was a place where the Four Blurs rarely ventured to. It was too close to Hogwarts and they did not want to be associated with those students. Red himself knew his family would be there, possibly his little sister Ginerva. In addition, sometimes Aurors would be here and though they could easily outwit one, they could not outwit a lot of them if they wanted to keep a low profile. So when they arrived, they made sure to conceal themselves with baseball caps and coats. It was late afternoon on a Saturday, so most likely some students were here for the Hogsmeade weekend.

They walked past The Three Broomsticks to find a one story restaurant. It was built like a fairy tale cottage with a white picket fence. On the front was a sign designed like a potted daisy. The sign read "The Potted Blossom." Bleach made a joke about how the restaurant looked like the three pigs built it. Autumn rapped him upside the head while Red laughed at the blonde's misfortune. Raven just smiled at his friend's antics before pushing the door open.

The building was obviously enchanted to be four times larger than it appeared. It was bustling with activity, wizards and witches chatting about. Pumpkins were placed on each table, a different face on each of the orange lanterns. And, as the name suggested, potted flowers were scattered around the tables.

A vibrant young woman with bright red hair and emerald green eyes walked over to them and Raven froze momentarily. He slid his cap further down to shade his eyes. His friends saw this and did the same with their own caps.

"Good afternoon. I'm Lily Potter, and I'll be your hostess. A table for four I assume?"

"Please." Red spoke, stepping forward and gingerly pushing Raven behind him. Lily smiled and ushered them forward.

"Right this way. You know, we don't get many people who wear muggle hats. Are you students?"

"No." they replied.

"Oh. Well, it's not my place to pry. Here we are; we'll be with you in a moment."

The four took their seats, three pair of eyes staring at the ravened haired boy. He looked back at them and glared. "What?"

"What do you mean what?" Red started, "That was your bloody mum."

"No, that was Harry Potter's mum. Raven Blur has no mum."

They kept their eyes trained on Lily, who was talking to a horse faced woman. The two women seemed to get along as the traded jokes before returning to work. Suddenly a young red head came over to them, smiling broadly.

"Hello. I'm Ginny. What can I get for you?"

"An exit," Red commented, earning a kick to the shin from three different directions. Ginny tilted her head to the side as she looked over at Red.

"Do I know you?" Ginny asked him, having caught a glimpse of him as he hollered in obvious pain. Red lowered his head and muttered a polite, yet bitter, 'no'. Ginny nodded and wrote down the drinks they had asked for. As she left, Red glared at the back of her head.

"How many people are in this place?"

"Beats me, but if I see Malfoy I'm leaving." Bleach muttered as he watched a passing blond.

"I didn't even know students could work in Hogsmeade." Autumn said. They turned to see another cluster of students walk into the restaurant. They were a group of four, the first two looking like relatives. They were both tall, with dark hair. One was bulkier than the other and he looked like he could have crushed the poor horse faced woman as he embraced her. Lily was talking to the other briefly before greeting the blond girl with tulip earrings and the plump black haired boy shying behind her.

"Hey, that kid kind of looks like you Rav."

Whap!

"OW!"

"Here you go," Ginny said as she returned with drinks, expertly placing them onto the table. They thanked her, but as she was able to return to the kitchen to give them time to decide on their meal, Autumn stopped her.

"Um, excuse me miss, but could you tell us a little about the owner?" She asked, going into what the boys called her "Scouting" Mode.

"Pardon?"

"Well, we're new around here and we'd just like to know more about the place." Bleach muttered something, which earned him a kick to the shin.

"Oi, stop doing that woman!"

Ginny ignored the misconduct and looked thoughtfully at Autumn before answering her question.

"Well, the owners are sisters; Lily Potter and Petunia Evans. Those are their sons over there, Nicholas and Dudley. They go to Hogwarts."

"Like you?"

"Um, no actually. I don't go to Hogwarts, but I'm perfectly fine working here. They're really nice, and creative. Bringing in muggle food into a Wizarding culture? Brilliant if you ask me."

"Hmm yes it is. Um, I think I'll have the club salad."


	2. At The Barrel of a Gun

**At The Barrel of a Gun**

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**

"I cannot believe you tipped her so much," Red muttered as they walked out of "The Potted Blossom." Dinner had been unexpectedly good, with each ordering meals that were normally only served in muggle London. The made sure not to draw attention to themselves, not wanting to be recognized by the young Weasley girl or Lily Potter. Fortunately it appeared that neither of them recognized Red or Raven, minus the close call they had earlier. The two boys were more than glad to be out of there, although Autumn did make sure to leave a nice tip.

"I was only being courteous. And she did give us that lovely information on Potter." Autumn explained. Red snorted and led the way to their exit point; an area near the Shrieking Shack where they could floo and or apparate without being noticed. "It's too bad she's a squip. At least she seems happy."

"That makes one of us," Red muttered. Bleach patted the ginger on the back sympathetically.

As they walked through Hogsmeade, Raven was rudely bumped into by a tall man in dark robes. He hung back, keeping an eye on the man as he went towards The Potted Blossom. His eyes narrowed. Something about that man seemed…off. He turned back to his friends, who were chatting away, and then back to the man. His fingers curled around the pocket sized blade in his jacket pocket.

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"Today was a lovely turn out wasn't it?" Lily asked her sister, who was at the cash register.

"It sure was. I never dreamed our restaurant business would turn out so well in the wizard world," Petunia commented as she locked the register and began cleaning the tables along with Lily and Ginny. "And the location is darling! I get to see my Dudders every weekend."

"Petunia, you spoil that poor boy too much," Lily laughed, setting the chairs on the tables. "But I guess someone has to."

"Well we all can't be strict mothers like you. You never go five minutes without scolding Nicholas for something or other." Petunia laughed. The older woman cleaned another table when she saw Ginny seem to struggle with hers. "Ginny dear, is something the matter? You're awfully quiet tonight."

"Uh? Oh, it's nothing. I'm just thinking."

"Want to share?" Lily asked.

Ginny fiddled with her wash cloth. She had kept watch on the red headed boy who was with his friends. There had just been something about him…something Ginny couldn't place. It was as if she were looking at an old friend whose name escaped her. She sighed before turning to Lily, whom she considered a second mother.

"It's just…I thought I saw my brother today."

"I don't think I recalled seeing any of them here today." Petunia said thoughtfully. Lily gave her sister a look. Petunia sadly lacked the knowledge differ between Ginny's brothers. And though Petunia never met to be hurtful, sometimes her comments had a sting to them. Lily smiled sadly before clueing her in.

"I think she means Ronald, the one who went missing some years ago."

"Oh… well dear I'm sure you're just missing him is all."

"I know. Sigh, he'd be a sixth year about now."

"Ginny," Lily walked over and pulled the girl into a quick hug, "take it from someone who knows what you're going through. Sometimes I wish Harry were still around. It's been hard on us, but they wouldn't want us to wallow. They'd want us to be happy. Tell you what, why don't we eat before you go home? Tuny's got a nice pie in the back."

Ginny looked thoughtful before smiling broadly.

"I think I'll enjoy that. Mum hasn't been cooking like she used too. I'm sure she'd like a piece too."

Laughing, the three women were about to head to the kitchen when they heard the front door open. Lily put on a smile and turned to the man who came in.

"I'm sorry, but we're about to close."

"I'm not here for a luncheon," the man held up his wand, catching the three off guard, "I'm here to shut down this establishment."

Instantly, Lily reached for her wand, but just as she pulled it from her pocket, the man sent a spell and knocked it out of her hand. They had just become defenseless. Lily was the only one who worked at The Potted Blossom who could use magic. Petunia and Ginny were both squips. They had never thought that their establishment would be attacked by a Death Eater because of the fact that it was so close to Hogwarts. The Death Eater pulled off his hood and Lily glared.

"I know you! You're Barty Crouch!" she growled, "You're the bastard that put my son in the Triwizard Tournament."

"And I've been treated like a hero ever since," Crouch said proudly. "How's Nicholas doing these days? Still traumatized about me killing Diggory's brat I bet."

"You son of a-"

"Lily!" Petunia held her sister back. Ginny tried to take this opportunity to fetch Lily's discarded wand, but a warning curse stopped her.

"Don't even think about it girl!" Crouch warned. Petunia reached out and pulled the teen to her side, keeping both red heads by her.

"What do you want with us?" Petunia asked, trying to keep the younger women safe, despite being incapable of magic.

"What else? Our Lord may not want to come take down this pathetic joint, but I'll be glad to take it down for him! You're nothing but Mudbloods. The lot of you! Bringing muggle food into our world? It's inexcusable."

"You can't do that! We have a right!" Lily declared, but Crouch simply sent another warning shot.

"Mudbloods don't have a right in the new world." Crouch trained his wand at Lily, grinning wildly. "Any last words?"

"Actually, yes." There was the sound of metal cutting through the air before Crouch felt cool steel against the back of his neck. "Drop the wand."

They all stood still, the three women watching the young boy hold a sword at Crouch, who froze at the feeling of cool steel. The young man had appeared out of nowhere, as if he had silently apparated into the room. His sword sparkled in the light of the restaurant, staying steady as he kept it trained on the would-be vandal. Silence lingered on as no one made a move. It seemed to draw for hours before Raven spoke again, adjusting his cap to hide his face.

"Well? Are you going to drop it or not?"

Crouch spun around and fired a curse with a loud battle cry. There was a flash of light. Two cracks formed on the wall. Raven's sword was gleaming in the light as he lowered it, having cut the curse cleanly in half. Wordlessly he held the sword out, training it on Crouch once again. The Death Eater just stared, mouth open, at the teen.

"That's not possible."

"Anything's possible if you try hard enough." Raven said calmly, his face an emotionless blank. "Now, I'll ask you again, are you going to drop the wand or not?"

"I'm not scared of you!" The one-track minded wizard started attacking Raven with curse after curse. Each were either cut or easily avoided. All the while, Raven just stared blankly. This infuriated Crouch further and he continued firing curses at a more rapid pace. Raven parried a Blasting curse, which flew past Crouch and over the heads of the other occupants.

"Excuse me ladies," a voice suddenly said behind them. They looked up to see three other teens wearing the same cap their savior had. The one who spoke, a charming young blond, smiled broadly. "I think the kitchen would be the safest place right now, wouldn't it?"

Without waiting for them to reply, the three took the women in the direction of the kitchen, giving Raven more room to maneuver around. He ducked under a table to avoid a second blasting curse. He was only fortunate it was just Crouch and not someone crazier like Lestrange or Greyback. He had heard about those two and knew he had a better chance with Crouch, who was easily angered and focused solely on his irritation.

"That all you got Daddy's Boy?" Raven asked. He smiled at the sight of Crouch's red face. He was starting to have fun with this. The table he was using for cover was suddenly blown to bits and he was thrown forward. "Ow."

"Crucio!"

Raven rolled out of the way, the angry red curse slamming into the floor. He sat up, catching a glimpse of Lily peer out of the kitchen door and make a break for the potted daisy next to the register. He stared, wide eyed after her. His estranged mother slammed her hand on the flower and it disappeared under her touch. He realized she had just sent for help. Crouch took this as the opportunity to attack Raven.

"Avada Kadavra!"

At the last second, Raven dropped to his back, the curse crashing into his cap and sending it flying into the air. Raven laid there on the floor, hearing Lily's gasp of horror. Crouch smirked triumphantly, thinking he had killed the pest. He turned his attention on the others, who had run into the battle the moment the killing curse was uttered. Autumn saw the burned cap and gasped.

"You shouldn't have done that." Red muttered, shaking his head.

"Why? Scared you'll be next?" Crouch asked, raising his wand at the disguised red head. A low growl suddenly drew his attention back to the sword wielding teen, who was now standing, black bangs curtaining his face. He had a deep scowl on his face, green eyes flaring.

"That was my favorite cap." He growled, raising his sword back at Crouch.

The atmosphere in the room suddenly grew thick with a strong magical pressure. The air grew cold as a wave of killing intent seeped out of Raven. The building magical pressure was coming from the blade Raven held and in a single, loud crunch, the ground Raven stood on collapse an inch. The power emanating from him seemed to paralyze Crouch and shock the three who didn't know him. His sword began to glow and he spun it in his fingers. Magic started to flow around it, transfiguring the weapon and intensifying the boy's own magical reserves.

"Blast, Winchester…"

The restaurant was filled with smoke from the resulting blast. Raven's sword seemed to have exploded in his hands, sending a wave of uncontrolled magical energy everywhere. The unprepared were unceremoniously thrown onto their butts. Windows shattered and doors were forced open, allowing the smoke and magic to escape into Hogsmeade. The smoke slowly cleared, revealing a raven haired boy spinning a gun by the trigger.

He grasped the handle and aimed. It was a sleek, six chamber gun with a ten inch barrel. Engraved on the sides of the barrel were runes. The handle was a finely crafted wood work with a pentacle on both sides. The chamber popped open and Raven flicked it with his free hand. It spun with a mechanical clicking before it popped back into place. He then leveled it at Crouch, who had the courage to stand back up. He aimed for the man's heart, shutting one eye to better his aim. For Crouch, he had never seen a gun in his life, so he was unprepared for what would happen. Lily and Petunia on the other hand stepped back when they saw the weapon.

"Six chambers, one bullet, let's see how lucky you are."

He pulled the trigger.

The silence was obliterated by a loud, fiery bang. A small burst of white flames erupted from the barrel before a ball of blue light shot out. It slammed into Crouch, sending him flying across the room and crashing into the front door, which gave under the man's weight. Crouch neither stirred nor spoke. He brought the smoking barrel to his lips and blew out the smoking residue from the spell he had just fired before holstering in his jacket pocket. A flash of light in his pocket indicated the weapon had transformed into its sword form.

Silence.

"Show off." Bleach said rather loudly, prompting Red and Autumn to laugh. The black haired youth flipped the blond off before going and retrieving his scourged cap.

"Let's go," he said, making his way to the front door. He made sure to step on Crouch. The others followed behind him and they had just gotten past the fence when Lily came out.

"Wait!" she cried. They didn't wait. "Harry!"

They stopped. Ginny and Petunia raced out and flanked Lily, who stared at the back of the boy who saved them.

"H-Harry, is that you? It is you isn't it?"

They said nothing. Several popping sounds from inside the restaurant indicated that the help Lily had sent for had just arrived. Raven scoffed.

"Typical. Help is always late."

And they left, disappearing from sight.

"Lily?! Lily! Lily!" James Potter ran out of the restaurant, embracing his wife. "Oh thank goodness you're safe. I got here as fast as I could. Where's the attacker?" She said nothing. "Lily?"

"James!" Sirius Black hollered. "Come quick! It's Barty Crouch!"

"I-is he alive?" Ginny suddenly asked. James stared at her.

"Don't you know? You girls did subdue him didn't you? Sure went crazy with the place though."

"It wasn't us James," Petunia told him, staring ahead while she fiddled awkwardly with a string from her wool coat.

"Really? Well if it wasn't you, who was it?"

"James," Lily began, slowly taking her eyes off the empty street and looking up into James' eyes, "it was Harry…He's alive."

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Quick Character Trivia: Harry's code name is Raven, after his raven black hair. He has a near identical brother, who has has brown eyes instead of green. Also, his twin does not wear glasses. Harry/Raven uses a sword instead of a wand, which can turn into a gun. The gun is based on the Colt from the TV series Supernatural. The gun is also named after the two main characters of that series: the Winchester brothers, Sam and Dean. Raven hold one real bullet in the gun while the empty chambers fires the spell Bombarda.

Until next time.


	3. Defending Your Territory

**Defending Your Territory**

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"I'm Harry Potter. Harry, Harry Potter. I'm Harry Potter. Harry, Harry Potter. I'm-"

"If you don't stop singing that right now, I'm going to stick Winchester so far up your ass you won't be able to sit for a week." Raven growled from his futon. Bleach, who was practicing with his sword, smirked at the raven haired youth.

"What's the matter? I think it's a catchy tune." A pillow was thrown his way, which he dodged. "Ha! Miss m- " He wasn't so fortunate with the hard copy of "To Kill a Mocking Bird".

It had been three days since the fiasco at The Potted Blossom and already the Daily Prophet was talking about it. He was none too happy to see the headings, "**Attack on Lily Potter, Barty Crouch Jr. Dead**" or "**Lost Potter Spotted?**" It was only worse when Bleach kept singing that stupid song of his. How he came up with it, he'll never know. Bleach always had a knack for coming up with the strangest songs. Like when they were eleven and he made a remix to Meow Mix; Meow Mixer. If Raven had had Winchester back then, he would have used the gun on the blond, just to end his suffering.

"I wonder how long before they show up," Bleach suddenly said, his voice growing serious. This did become a serious matter. For the past six years they lived in the streets of London, hiding their magic from the Wizarding community. It was better to make it seem like they were just good at controlling accidental magic. However, by showing off Winchester, he had drawn attention to them. It would not be a good thing if either side of the war came knocking at their door.

This was another thing to worry about. The war between Death Eaters and the Order was beginning to unfold. Rumors of Voldemort's return had sprung up last year. However, Potter and Dumbledore's claims were dismissed as delusions and cries for attention. Even when Cedric Diggory backed them up before being killed by Crouch, who at that time was aiming to kill Nicholas Potter. When Voldemort was spotted at the Ministry in May, the four knew it was only a matter of time before war broke out. They had originally agreed to be neutral, but now that they had been spotted, that was not going to happen. Either the Order will come asking for help, or Death Eater would come to bargain and or kill them.

"Hopefully long enough for us to cover our tracks better. We can't afford to draw too much attention to us now."

"Does that mean fewer raids?" he threw Bleach a look, "What? I'm just asking. I still need to complete my collection of Pewee Plushies."

"I still cannot believe you collect those. Even Autumn doesn't like those things."

Before Bleach could respond with some type of come back, Autumn and Red burst into the apartment. The two of them had gone to Diagon Alley to investigate the new joke shop that opened two days ago. They hadn't had time go see it due to the fact they wanted to keep a low profile. That and Autumn thought it would be good to go and do some muggle things like go see a movie or go to the fair. They had only gone to Diagon Alley to exchange currency at Gringotts. They only used the small vault their teacher had left for them for muggle London or when they went to eat like normal people.

"You've got to come see this!" Red yelled. "There are Death Eaters in the Alley!"

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There was chaos everywhere. People ran screaming as store windows exploded. Sparks of magic rained down on the streets and streams of black, wisping smoke weaved in and out of shops, destroying everything. Raven and the others had come in, just barely avoiding a stray curse. They ducked behind a stone wall, watching the chaos unfold. They spotted Greyback dragging Ollivander out of his shop. The old man struggled, trying to pry free, but the werewolf kept a firm grip on him. Just as they were about to apparate away, Raven pulled out Winchester and fired a curse from the shrunken sword. Fenrir was momentarily dazed, allowing Ollivander to escape and make a run for it. The others turned to him.

"What? Ollivander was probably the only shop keeper we liked. I'm not going to let Death Eaters take him. Besides, this is our turf."

"What about keeping a low profile?" Bleach asked. He shrugged.

"Keep to the shadows or something. Just don't get spotted or use the Release spells."

They nodded to each other before breaking off and heading into the fray. True to their names, they raced into Diagon Alley, their natural speed turning them into blurs within the battle ground. They kept their swords the size of wands to better concentrate their spells. It also drew less attention to themselves. Red headed in the back of the alley while Autumn took to the left. Bleach ran for Gringotts and Raven stays to make sure Ollivander made it out. For some reason or another, the old wizard seemed to be the focus of the Death Eaters and he'd be damned if he let them catch him.

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The lovely thing about the back of Diagon Alley was the fact that one, it had a lot of room to run around in, and two, has enough coverage for him to hide in. Zipping in and out of nooks and crannies, Red was blasting spells left and right. These Death Eaters were surprisingly weak. A simple stunner was good enough to send them flying onto their asses. He turned a corner and his smirk faltered. He just discovered the new joke shop he and Autumn had come looking for. It wasn't hard to miss because it just screamed April Fool's. The bright, multicolored W's made his right eye twitch.

"Weasleys' Wizarding Wheezes? You've got to be kidding me!" He was about move on when he heard a crash from inside and saw a spell burst through a window. He frowned. "I hate my conscience." He muttered bitterly before racing into the shop.

"To your left George!"

"On your right Fred!"

Red easily recognized the twins. Their hair was as red as his and stood in contrast to the black robes of the four Death Eaters surrounding them. The twins ducked and dodged spells aimed at them while easily firing back. They used the store as their home advantage. It was like they weren't outnumbered at all. Well, that is until one Death Eater played dirty and blew the stairs underneath George, sending him to the ground. Fred was distracted by this and soon joined his brother on the ground.

"That's my cue." Red muttered to himself, taking cover and firing a stunner at the back of a would-be attacker. He managed to catch two more by surprise, but the fourth managed to counter and nearly blast his ear off. "Oi! You singed my hair!"

"I'll do more than that you brat!" Augusta Rookwood proclaimed, sending a curse at him.

George was the first to regain his foot. Sitting up, he caught sight of red near the front of the store. His eyes focused on the red and he could make out the form of a boy with some kind of metal in his hand. The boy barrel rolled to avoid a curse before sending his own at the Death Eater he was dueling. He heard Fred groan and turned to see his between slowly sit up.

"I think I broke my wrist." Fred groaned. George tapped him.

"Hey Fred, is it me, or does that kid look familiar?"

"You're right."

They both watch boy's wand grow in time to cut a curse in half. It was then that the "wand" was revealed to be a sword. The Death Eater was caught off guard and the boy used this to his advantage to run forward and cleave the Death Eater's wand in half. A swift kick to the gut sent the man sprawling to the ground. The boy stood up and the twins gaped at him.

"Ronald?"

Red looked up to see the twins staring dumbfounded in his direction. He cursed loudly and made a break for the door. As he did, he saw a box of Peruvian Instant Darkness Powder and Decoy Detonators. A thought came to him and he pocketed a handful of each.

"I'm taking these. You better go before they wake up." He said before dashing out. Fred and George stared at Ron's retreating back before turning to each other. The first thing that came to mind was that Ron was alive, but the first thing that came out of their mouths was,

"Ron just robbed us."

.

.

.

"Crucio!"

Autumn ducked out of the curse's path before firing a stunner. It had been just her luck to run into Bellatrix Lestrange. The woman was like drunken clown. Only clowns were funnier. And she hated clowns. She didn't even get to ambush Lestrange either because the woman had been sending spells as she came around the corner. Cackling, Bellatrix sent debris her way.

"What's the matter? Is the little witch scared of little old Bella?"

"Well you're right about the old part," Autumn retorted from her hiding spot. She heard Bella fume in rage.

"How dare you you filthy Mudblood!"

"Well you're the one who said it." Autumn barrel rolled out of the path of a blasting curse. "Well someone has a short temper."

"Argh! Crucio!"

"Bombarda!"

The spells collided and the resulting explosion sent both witches flying. Autumn landed on a cushioned pile of trash while Bellatrix landed in a pile of dirty clothes. Autumn stood up, smiling proudly.

"I can't believe that worked."

"Avada Kadavra!" The green jet of light flew past her, the heat of the spell causing her to flinch. That had been _too_ close. Knowing it would be a bad idea to draw attention to her any further, Autumn bolted down the alley, ignoring Bellatrix's cries for vengeance.

.

.

.

Gringotts was usually a powerful stronghold. It was impenetrable, the safest place in the Wizarding London besides Hogwarts. The goblins were superstitious creatures and kept their bank under secure measures. However, today, Gringotts was at the receiving end of Death Eater attacks. They were ransacking the place, possibly trying to steal something important or to prove nothing was safe from them. Seeing one Death Eater man handle and then kill a helpless goblin made Bleach's blood boil. He drew his sword, letting it grow to its full two feet length.

"Sectumsepra!"

With a slashing motion, Bleach sent a burst of white hot light at the Death Eater. A slash had formed on the man, as if Bleach himself had walked over and slashed him. Clutching his arm, the Death Eater howled in pain, gathering the attention of the other eight in the front entrance. The blond frowned at this. He probably didn't think his plan out too well. Had they had their backs to him, he would have been able to take them by surprise. However, now that they had their attention focused solely on him, it had just become a long, difficult fight. At once, they sent their spells at him. Dropping to the floor, Bleach avoided the curses, letting them fly out into the open air behind him.

"Confringo!"

His curse blew up the ceiling, sending cement and chandeliers raining down on the Death Eaters. They scattered in an attempt to avoid being crushed by falling debris. He repeated this in an attempt to scatter them further. It wasn't long before they started to retaliate. Growling, Bleached took cover behind a desk. This was not his day. After what seemed like hours of being under fire, the attacks stopped and he took slow, calming breaths. Slowly using his sword, the blond checked to see if the Death Eaters were still there. The reflective metal revealed seven Death Eaters being led by a man with long bleached blond hair. His eyes darkened at the sight of this man.

"Malfoy."

.

.

.

On the bright side, Raven had managed to get Ollivander out of the alley. On the bad side, he was now being chased by Fenrir Greyback and his pack of werewolves. Definitely not how he wanted to spend his Tuesday afternoon. He rounded the corner and met a dead end.

"Shit."

"Nowhere to go boy," Fenrir growled. "You're going to regret interfering with the Death Eaters."

"Really? Because right now the only thing I'm regretting is not buying nose plugs." He pulled out a packet of tick-tacks. "Mint?"

"I'll make your death a quick one."

The werewolf lunged at him. Raising his sword up, Raven slashed at Fenrir, infuriating him; though it did manage to get Fenrir to keep his distance. Raven calculated his odds. The three werewolves behind Fenrir looked easy enough. They were beta wolves, easy guys he'd be able to take. It was Fenrir that was the problem. The man's body was a thick and hard as his skull, and as the pack leader, he was stronger than them all.

"The boy's got a bite," Fenrir commented. "How about I show you whose bite is worse? Avada-"

The wall to their left exploded. Jets of red light tossed Death Eaters onto their backs and Fenrir guarded himself by cutting the spells aimed for him. The dust cloud cleared and Autumn stood there with her sword trained at them. Taking this as his cue, Raven ran past Fenrir with Autumn at his heel.

"What took so long?"

"Bellatrix. That woman is an absolute nightmare. I had to run because I couldn't take her here."

"Where are Red and Blondie?"

"Bleach is at Gringotts and I saw Red head that way."

"Come on then. We've got to get them and get out before more Death Eaters show up. Are all the civilians out?"

"From what I can tell they've all gone. It's just us."

They ran the corner, just in time to see a black smokescreen erupt out of Gringott's door. Seconds later, Red came barging out with a hollering and kicking blond.

"Let me at him Red! I'll show that upstart who's boss!"

"No time for that!" Red scolded as they met with Raven and Autumn. "We've got to get out of here before-"

"Avada Kadavra!"

They all ducked the killing curse Lucius Malfoy had sent their way. Malfoy was not alone either. Bellatrix, Fenrir, and Augustus soon arrived, flanked by Death Eater. Two of Augustus' Death Eaters were restraining Fred and George, who stayed to find Ron instead of fleeing. The younger red head cursed at the twin's stupidity.

"What happened to you Rookwood? Get manhandled by a Weasley?"

"Shut up Lestrange! I was taken by surprise is all."

"Yes, I believe we all have been taken by surprise." Malfoy agreed as he walked down the steps of Gringotts. He trained his wand on Bleach. "I'm surprise to see you're alive, Draco. I guess throwing you out on the streets of muggle London gave you some kind of back bone."

Bellatrix straightened at Lucius' words. "That's little Dragon?"

"Of course Bella dear. Do you think I don't recognize my own son?"

"I'm not your son you pile of shit!" Bleach growl, taking a step forward. Had Red not kept a firm hold on the blond, he would have engaged Malfoy in a fight.

"Yes of course not. I have a more…willing son now don't I?" He looked over the four. "Such a colorful assortment of friends you have Draco. Red hair, freckles, could this be the missing Weasley boy? Yes, I'd recognize one of Arthur's offspring anywhere. You look better off than your family is." Red growled, his grip on Bleach loosening a bit. "Ah, well I almost mistook you for your brother Mr. Potter. From the description the Daily Prophet gave out, you must be the one who killed Crouch. I must applaud you."

Raven's hand gripped tighter around Winchester. They kept still, watching as Lucius walked towards them. He looked over at Autumn and the boys formed a protective circle around her.

"I don't recognize you my dear. Perhaps a muggleborn?"

"I'd rather be a muggleborn than a spineless aristocrat like you."

"Feisty little one aren't we. Well now, I think there is no more need for violence."

"There isn't?" Raven asked, trying to sound almost disappointed.

"No, there isn't. You see, unlike my colleagues, I know an ally when I see one. I'm more than certain the Dark Lord would be more than thankful for your assistances in this war. And in return we'll let those two boys go."

"Don't do it Ron!" Fred suddenly shouted. Malfoy simply stunned the boy, not taking his eyes off the four teens.

"Pardon the rudeness of the Weasley boy. They never know when to shut up. Now Draco, what do you and your friends have to say about my offer?"

"What do we have to say?" Bleach looked over to Raven, who nodded. The blond turned to Malfoy, a smirk on his face.

"Slither, Dragoon..."

All of Diagon Alley felt the burst of energy emitted by those words and the air was filled with the sound of a hissing dragon.


	4. Family Issues

Sloth: Hi there everyone. I'm really glad people like this story. I'd like to thank Live2SK8, Silvermoongurl01, hpswst101, Reno-Sky, Brookslocklear, Blood Shifter2, and lilithaniaXD for reviewing my story this week. Reviews really do help my self-esteem towards writing. And for those you favorite or putting the story on your alert, I appreciate it.

Well, I'm not going to repeat the disclaimer, because I obviously don't own Harry Potter or the concept of Shikai. Ya'll know that.

Enjoy, and don't forget to leave some criticism

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**Family Issues**

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The air was filled with the sound of a hissing dragon, and as the smoke cleared, metal chains reflected the light. A strong gust of wind cleared away the smokescreen, revealing the ten foot long chain encircling the four protectively. It floated in the air, slithering around like a living creature. A metal spike, shaped like a dragon's head, at the end of the chain was aimed at Lucius. The other end of the chain was connected to the hilt of Bleach's sword, his grip tightening around it.

"How's this for an answer?"

The chain lashed out like a dragon's tail, sweeping Death Eaters off their feet. Using this distraction caused by the weapon, Autumn, Raven, and Red went on the attack. Swords drawn, spells forgotten, they started slashing at Death Eaters. A snarling Greyback jumped forward, sending a hex at Raven's head. The former Potter made an upward cutting motion in an attempt to cut off the man's hand. Fenrir avoided the strike and countered by blasting at him. They took to continuing this assault, back and forth they went, neither scoring a hit.

Autumn made a run for a Death Eater, but was intercepted by Bellatrix.

"Not so fast! Crucio!" The curse was cleaved in half, hitting two Death Eaters instead.

"Does old age affect a person's aim?" she taunted. Angry, Bellatrix pressed forward, sending curse after curse, spell after spell. Autumn was first able to block and parry the spells, but soon had to turn to dodging. Ducting under a red blast, Autumn aimed at the floor under Bellatrix's feet and cried, "Reducto!"

"Ahh!" Satisfied that Lestrange went flying, Autumn went to attacking Death Eaters.

Red, against his better judgment, went straight to Rookwood and his estranged brothers. Rookwood stepped forward and fired a stunner from the wand he confiscated from George. Red ducked under the stunner and once again cleaved Rookwood's wand. He trained the blade against the man's throat.

"You need to get better wands." Red said smugly.

"You wouldn't dare. We've still got your brothers," Rookwood said, nodding his head where two Death Eaters held their wands at the twin's throats. "Put down your sword if you want them to live."

Red's expression never changed. He made no move either. They stared at one another, Red just briefly looking over at Fred and George. Fred was beginning to stir George told him to kick some ass. Then, slowly, Red lowered his sword, his free hand reaching into his pocket. Rookwood was none the wiser and was taken by surprise when he and his goons were enveloped by darkness. Metal cut through bodies and Fred and George were unceremoniously tossed out of the smokescreen. Rookwood was sent flying out a second later before Red calmly walked out.

"That was…"

"Completely..."

"Brilliant."

Red just stared at the two. "The next time someone tells you go, go. Idjits."

The battle between father and son waged on. Bleach swung the chain around like a whip, using it to deflect spells. With each flick of the wrist, the chain made a different move. It coiled and struck at Lucius like a viper. Lucius avoided the strike, watching it bury deep into the marble steps of Gringotts. Bleach pulled at the chain and it retracted, encircling its master protectively. Lucius raised an eyebrow.

"I'm impressed. Tell me my dear boy, where _did_ you learn a trick like that."

Bleach smirked. "Anything's possible if you try hard enough." Lashing out with a battle cry, Bleach's chain struck again. This time Malfoy erected a shield, which shattered under impact. The blunt end of the dragon head rammed into Malfoy's gut, sending him into the air. However, to Bleach's surprise, the Death Eater landed gracefully on his feet. "How…?"

"You don't become The Dark Lord's right hand without some skill. Now I'll ask again? Will you and your friends join us? I'm being awfully generous. We'll even let you keep the Mudblood."

"Go to hell! Serpensortia!"

Magic seemed to flow through the chain, turning the metallic grey material to dark green. In one fluid movement, the chain became a metallic serpent, its dragon head coming to life. It struck at Lucius, fangs posed. At the last second, Lucius apparated away, letting the snake crunch into marble. The wizard reapparated to the left and fired a curse at his disowned child. Bleach pulled at Dragoon and it pulled back, devouring the magical blast. It exploded inside the metal head, wisps of smoke pillowing out.

The two stared each other down, an intense look on their face. Slowly, as they both calculated their next move, Dragoon reverted back to its original chained form and encircled Bleach once again. The seconds past by, the sounds of the others fighting filled the air. And then they struck again, Bleach's chain whip against Malfoy's torture curse. They met mid air, cancelling each other out in a white hot explosion. A burst of magical energy raked the alley, causing it to shimmer before a loud crashing sound filled the air.

"The wards broke!" Bellatrix suddenly exclaimed. "The Order is coming!"

And just like that, the Order of the Phoenix came into the fray. Death Eaters ran like rats.

"Malfoy, let's go!" Fenrir shouted, dodging Raven's sword swipe before apparating. Bellatrix followed suit, but not before casting a final curse at Autumn. The brunette managed to dodge the curse, letting it hit an escaping Death Eater. Rookwood used the remaining wand he stole from the Weasley twins to get away, much to Red's frustration.

"Bastard. I still owe him for singing my hair."

Raven ran over to Bleach's side, Autumn and Red joining seconds later. Malfoy looked at them and the Order members who finished off the remaining and or lagging Death Eaters.

"Very well children. But know this, side with the Order, and you _will _die."

"Don't count on it _father_."

Malfoy disappeared from sight and Dragoon returned to its sealed form. As the four made a move to leave, they suddenly found themselves surrounded by wizards, wands aimed at them. The four got prepared to attack when Fred and George came onto the scene.

"Wait!"

"Don't hurt them!"

"They're with us."

A man with a magical eye ball turned to the twins. "Fred, George, you know these kids?"

"That's our brother and his friends," the two said simultaneously. Arthur Weasley, who had just finished restraining some Death Eaters, rushed over to his boys. At the sight of the flaming headed man, Red stepped back, his hand reaching for a third Instant Darkness Powder.

"Fred, George thank goodness you two are ok. Didn't you try to break the ward? What would your mother say if anything happened to-" The man caught sight of Red's hair and stared at the boy. "Ron?"

Growling, Red threw the crystal, sending a thick smoke cloud into the air. Using the darkness, the Four Blurs booked it out of there. They passed Order members, pushing or knocking them out of the way. Once they cleared out, the teens ran at top speed, becoming blurs against the background. Once the Order members found themselves free from the darkness, Arthur frantically looked around.

"Ron! Ron!"

"What in blazes was that?" Tonks as she stumbled out of the cloud. It slowly evaporated, allowing the other Order members to finally see daylight. Fred and George turned to the metamorphmagus, smiling proudly.

"That our dear Tonks was the Peruvian Instant Darkness Powder."

"And our little Ronald stole them from our shop."

"We're very proud of him," they said simultaneously, which earned them a scowl from their father.

"Are you telling me you two saw Ron and didn't tell us? We've been looking for him for ten years, your poor mother has never been the same since, and you just so happen to forgot to mention him?"

"Well it's not like we knew he was here long," Fred defended.

"He just showed up in our shop when it was being raided."

"He took out Rookwood and three Death Eaters with nothing but a sword!"

"A sword?" Tonks asked thoughtfully. "How can anyone take out Death Eaters without a wand?"

"Well it wasn't just the sword."

"He used it like a wand. He had it shrunk about this long."

"In fact, they all did."

"Who did?" Remus Lupin asked. He, along with Sirius Black had been drawn to the conversation between the Weasley men. They hadn't had much time to obverse the four as they had been confronting Death Eaters. They had only caught a glimpse of four contrasting hair colors before they were enveloped in darkness.

"Ronald and his friends. Didn't catch the name of the girl, but the other boys…."

"They were Potter and Malfoy."

"Potter and Malfoy?" Sirius questioned. Something dawned on him and he stared at the twins. "You mean Harry and Draco?"

"But I thought those two were dead," Tonks said. "They had gone missing years ago."

"That's only because the Potters gave up hope and the Malfoys never gave a crap about them." Arthur replied bitterly. He had no ill feeling towards the Potters anymore for assuming their sons had died five years ago, but the Malfoys were another story. The thought of the two throwing away one child and replacing him with another was just sick. "Boys, can you tell us anything else?"

"Um, actually, Malfoy had this cool sword…"

"Turned the bloody thing into a snake."

"Actually, I believe he turned it into a chain."

"Ah, yes you're right about that."

"That's fine and dandy," Alastor Moody began, "but what were they doing here?"

"Beats me." The twins replied. Arthur sighed.

"Everyone, let's report to Dumbledore. He'll want to know this. But no one tell Lily or Molly about the boys. Lily already thought she saw Harry on Saturday and now she won't sleep. If Molly knew about Ron, she'll go mad."

"Right Dad."

Order members began popping away, returning to Headquarters. George and Fred stayed behind, turning and smirking at each other.

"Say George, you remembered to put those thief-tracker charms on the Decoy Detonators right?"

"Why, yes I did Fred. Yes I did."

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.

.

"We are never going to Diagon Alley again," Red said as he slammed the apartment door. The others agreed. They weren't sure they had done the right thing. They blew their cover. They had been spotted by both Death Eaters and Order Members. They had to resort to having Bleach use his Release spell to save the Weasley twins, who saw everything. Most likely the twins were giving away information on them to the Order by now. Red was particularly pissed off because he had to save his brothers twice. He wasn't the only one who was seething. Bleach kicked the couch, knocking it forward.

"Malfoy…that annoying bastard. I can't wait to let Dragoon tear him apart the next time we meet. I mean, offering us to join Moldywart? Who does he think he is?"

"An obvious diplomat." Autumn commented, going to fetch some drinks for her two friends. They normally don't drink the hard stuff, but the two boys obviously needed it. "He was playing it smart. Instead of rushing in, he made an offer for us to become his allies. That means he recognizes our skills. He could have also been testing us, to see what we could do. Remember, he pointed out Raven as the one who killed Crouch."

Bleach scoffed. "Bastard still should have kept his nose out of our business. No one needs to know how we learned the Shikai." He took the drink Autumn handed him and Red and gulped it down. "More."

"I'm not surprised though," Raven said from the couch. "It's not something wizards in London are familiar with. Hell, if we never even met Boss, we wouldn't know it either."

"Not to mention some wizards here might consider it Dark Magic since it has a fifty six chance of completely crushing a person's core just to get it the first time." Red added in, taking a drink. He slammed the cup on the counter. "More."

"If you two get drunk again, you're both sleeping outside." Autumn warned before refilling both their glasses.

Raven chuckled as he watched the both chugged their glasses and telling the girl they knew the consequences. Those two had three or four more cups before they were drunk off their asses. At least they'd be able to sleep peacefully tonight. Sighing, he thought about the first time they had learned about the Shikai technique. Their teacher, who they nicknamed Boss, had been a traveler. He had found the four after they attempted to steal from him. However, instead of punishing them, Boss took them in, setting up this apartment, and teaching them the Shikai, or Release Spell in English. They had been warned about how difficult it would be to achieve, but they were persistent. It took them about a year to completely master it.

A sudden knock at the door drew their attention and they instantly became very alert. Absolute no one ever knocked at their door. Not even the landlord. They never expected visitors and never told anyone where they lived. They looked at one another, fingers easing around their wand-sized swords. Another knock and Raven cautiously stood up. He walked to the door, his hand gripping the handle. He turned to his friends, nodding to them. They each drew their blades and trained them at the door. Raven pulled the door open, sword raised.

"Don't shoot!"

"It's only us!"

….

"Shoot them."

"Red!"

"What? They know where we live now!" he argued, "They could go to the Order and rat us out."

"Now Ron, we wouldn't do that." Fred claimed.

"We're your brothers."

"Lot that ever did," Red growled. "And the name's Red. I stopped being Ron Weasley years ago."

"Oh, well then…"

"Seems fair enough…"

"What are you doing here anyways?" Raven asked, cutting in between the family banter.

"Ah yes…well, why don't we come in and explained?"

"No." the four said plainly.

"Touché, but understandable."

"You see," George began, "you lot owe us."

"How the hell do we owe you?" Red asked, "You should owe us for saving your asses."

"I think he's still bitter about you turning Mr. Teddy into a spider."

Bleach sniggered and grinned at his hot tempered friend. "Mr. Teddy?"

"Shut up Blondie!"

"Look, it's very simple Ro – Red. You stole from our shop…"

"And you chopped my wand to bits…"

"We just think you should do us a favor."

"We're not joining the Order." Raven spoke up. "We're planning on staying neutral in this war."

"Oh no, no need to worry about the Order. What we want…"

"Is for you to work at our store."

There was a long pause as they all stared at the twins. Finally, Autumn said what was on their minds.

"What the bloody hell?"

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Quick Character Trivia: Draco Malfoy, now going by Bleach, is a childish young man. He can be considered the Sirius of the group. His father disowned him for standing up for his abused mother and he has a younger brother. His Shikai's name is Dragoon, a pun on his original name. The command is a reference to the spell Serpensortia and the fact that the snakes conjured slither about.

Next Chapter: Shikais will be explained and we'll get a glimpse of the lives of Raven and Red's former family. Also, the fate of another character.

It'll be a while before I update the next chapter. I need to focus on school and my Percy Jackson fanfic before the next chapter goes up. Until then, I hope to hear more from you readers.


	5. The NonAction Explanation

Sloth: Thanks for the review guys. Here's the next chapter. It's the long, boring, explanation chapter. At least to me. I do hope you enjoy the little plot twists in this one.

Please don't forget to hit the little green button at the end of the chapter.

Enjoy. :)

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**The Non-Action Explanation**

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"Swords you say?"

"Yes Professor Dumbledore. That's what the boys said. They managed to fight off Death Eaters with them. Some of the bodies that remained showed signs of behind cut." Arthur slouched in his seat, his mind wandering to his long lost son. He wished he had been there to speak to Ron, but the boy had escaped with his friends in a cloud a smoke. The next time he saw Ron, he would make sure he'd be able to speak to the boy.

"Have you heard anything like that Professor?" Lupin asked the Headmaster. The old wizard looked thoughtful before answering.

"I have actually. Though this is the first time I've heard of it being used in England."

"So what exactly is it?" James Potter asked. The black haired man was slightly bitter about not being able to go and assist his fellow Order Members. But as this year's Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, he had to remain at Hogwarts during the attack. He too wanted to see Harry. He had given up hope of finding his son, blaming himself for Harry running away in the first place. When Lily told him she saw him, his heart was torn between believing her or not.

"From what you've told me when young Draco Malfoy transfigured his sword I can only assume it is the Shikai, or Release Spell. It is a form of ancient magic practiced most commonly in Japan. Wizards there are sometimes trained like warriors; similar to their samurai ancestors. The Shikai is very powerful, allowing one to transfigure their wand into a blade. This blade would permanently be their tool for magic. However, the blade is never the weapon's true form."

"What do you mean?"

"You see, when the Shikai is first preformed, the caster's wand will shatter. The wand's core merges with the caster's own magical core, forging a weapon that matches the caster's personality or magical preferences. Sometimes the weapon will be only able to cast a single spell, the same used to first activate the Shikai. For example, from what Lily has told me, it is most like that when he first achieved the Shikai, young Harry casted the blasting charm: Bombarda. And young Draco most liked used the snake conjuring charm: Serpensortia."

"Are you saying there is no incantation for this Release Spell?" Minerva McGonagall asked.

"No. The Shikai is merely a complicated ritual. What's more, the Shikai gives the caster a personal bond with their weapon. When it is first formed, the caster can give their weapon a name. Something that comes from the heart or important to them. When the weapon is sealed, it becomes a sword, and by giving a one word command, followed by the weapon's name, the sword takes on it's true form, releasing a great deal of the caster's sealed magic."

"And that's why it's called the Release Spell?" Sirius asked. Dumbledore nodded firmly.

"It is a very powerful magic. What's more, these weapons have a second, more powerful form. This second form can take years to master. The Shikai Maxima is said to transform the weapon into a greater tool, sometimes combining with the wielder or becoming an organic creature. Not only does this maximize the caster's magical core, but it also gives them more power than before. However, this second form can be quite exuberating to the caster. Sometimes, after being used, the caster's magical core would almost completely diminish and only a long period of rest can help replenish it."

"If these are so powerful, why don't more wizards attempt it?" Sirius asked.

"Ah, yes, a very good question Sirius. You see, in order for one to use the Shikai, you must be trained at a young age, while your magical core has yet to be influenced by any other type of magic. Or, if you had not performed magic in a significant amount of time, you could attempt the Shikai as well. Another reason why we do not practice it is because it has a fifty six percent failure rate. And should one fail to achieve the Shikai, they would be nothing more than a muggle because your core would be destroyed. That danger alone can discourage wizards away from attempting the Shikai."

"And they are so young," McGonagall whispered softly, her maternal instincts kicking in. "It sounds too dangerous for them to attempt that. Who would even be foolish enough to teach children this…this…_ritual_?"

"Ah, I know of only one English wizard to be able to perform the Shikai. His thirst for knowledge led him to discovering the technique and he spend several years trying to master it. He was the only known person to successfully use the Shikai while having years of magical practices. And though I wish he would join in our effort, I am unable to change the man's wish to be a neutral party."

"Who are you talking about Professor?" James asked, "Maybe if we can find him, he might try and convince these kids to join the war. I bet I could persuade him." James added casually as he put his feet on the table. McGonagall swatted his feet away and he retreated, creating great amusement.

"Ah, but as much as I wish to, I know he will not make his students do what they do not wish. Further, he may not like speaking to you James."

"What? But we've never met."

"Ah, but you have. Or did you not recall your missing rival during your seventh year?"

James paled. "Are…Are you saying that Snivellus is this great Shikai teacher?"

"Yes indeed. Severus Snape is the great English Shikai Wizard. I had become aware of this when Severus came to me to withdraw from Hogwarts. He had attempted the Shikai on his own and it nearly cost him his magic. He wished to venture the world to learn more about cultural magic. He must have taught these four the last time he was in London. Though, last I heard, he was still in Japan, most likely interacting with the Japanese Ministry."

"This is very interesting and all," Moody started, "but what are we going to do with them? We can't just let four untrained wizards go around with magical swords. They could get someone killed."

"Ah yes, we cannot have that now. However, I believe they've been able to do well on their own so far. I believe that Diagon Alley calls them the Four Blurs."

"Four Blurs?" James muttered. "At least they have a name."

"I believe it is best to get them into Hogwarts for their protection. The Death Eaters will most likely retaliate against them now. And while they are at Hogwarts, they can partake in the curriculum. Perhaps they will even join the Order."

Arthur and James sat up expectantly. Alastor Moody scoffed at the idea. "Well Arthur, James, congratulations. Your sons have become magical sword wielding hooligans with Malfoy and a muggleborn."

.

.

.

"This place is a mess." Autumn commented in disgust at the run down, empty shop.

"Well it hasn't been the same since it closed down." Fred defended.

"Poor Zonko, how we've missed thee."

"I don't even know why you'd want to open a shop here." Red said as he adjusted his cap. Somehow, they had managed to let Fred and George convince them to come to Hogsmeade, where they wanted to put a shop where the old Zonko's joke shop was. They had said that they were too busy at their shop and with the Order that they didn't have time to run a second shop. However, they thought the four of them running the second shop would be a great way for Red to repay them for breaking George's wand and stealing from them. He had been furious at them for that, but Raven and Bleach managed to hold him back.

There were some perks to this though. They twins said that not only would they get paid for their work, but they'd always would be able to help themselves with anything they wanted. Autumn also pointed out that they would be able to stop stealing from Diagon Alley. At least until things blew over and they wouldn't have to worry about Death Eaters or Order Members looking for them there. However, he was still suspicious of them. He doubted they'd change that much in ten years. Weasley Wizarding Wheezes was proof of it. They were up to something.

"Hogwarts students of course." Fred answered.

"They come to Hogsmeade all the time."

"They'll definitely stop here for our products..."

"Because we've tested them…"

"At school."

"Do you two ever get tired of that twin speak thing?" Bleach asked from where he sat on the counter.

"No." they replied simultaneously. Raven looked over at his friends.

"Group huddle."

"Ok, so what do you think?" he asked. Red opened his mouth, but Raven quickly cut him off. "Unbiased comments only." The ginger pouted.

"Well," Autumn started, "I think it would be nice to make an honest living for once." The boys stared at her. "Only until the war blows over. All of Diagon Alley knows we go there every day and it won't be long before the Death Eaters start staking out to catch us. At least if we're here, it'll be harder for them to find us."

"True, but what about the Hogwarts students," Bleach added, "Particularly the guy who looks like Raven without his glasses on and the red head working five shops down from here. You don't think they'll rat us out to their parents? Parents who are in 'Chick-Fill-A'."

"Please don't call it that, you'll make me hungry."

"Look, we've got to look at the pros and cons of this." Raven said. "We work here, we can avoid Death Eaters. The Four Blurs aren't well known here. Secondly, we've got access to all of the Twins products. That Peruvian Instant Darkness Powder can come in handy. Thirdly, we can get information."

"Information? For what?"

"In the event we do have to pick sides. It's best to know about both sides. Plus, I'm sure the students have stuff on the castle we could use." A sly smile formed on the raven haired youth. The others soon got what he was implying and smirked as well.

"Raven, you never cease to impress us." Bleach grinned.

"What about the sneaks? None of us can use the memory charm. I'm not even sure I can trust those two, let alone a bunch of kids."

"Red you never trust anyone outside the four of us. It's time you start." Autumn retorted. "We can get to that when it comes. Besides, we can always use some disguises, and our caps pretty much make it impossible for people to recognize us."

"So then it's agreed?"

"Agreed."

"Agreed."

"….."

"Red!"

"Oh all right, but I'm telling you, if I see one too many red heads I'm leaving."

They broke their huddle and turned to the Weasley twins. "We'll do it."

"Excellent."

Oh, how they would wish they had listened to Red.

.

.

.

"Penny for your thoughts?"

"Not now Dudley." Nicholas Potter said as his cousin sat down next to him. He had been spending an awful lot of his time sitting in front of the fireplace since his mother had claimed to have spotted his twin. It had been a touché subject for the Potter family. Harry had been missing for ten years. Or rather, five years before he was proclaimed dead. His mother had been devastated by the lost, to the point she ran to her estranged sister for comfort. She had blamed herself for Harry's disappearance, saying had she only paid more attention or treated him better he would have stayed. The only good thing that came from it was Lily and Petunia's rekindled relationship.

He felt Dudley looking at him and gave his cousin a dry look. It had come off as a surprise when Dudley got his Hogwarts letter. He had always seemed normal. At first the two didn't get along, Dudley being a spoiled brat and him being a hot tempered fool. However, Hogwarts had the power to change people and through various adventures like the Sorcerer's Stone, the Chamber of Secrets, and the Triwizard Tournament, they became close friends. Along with Neville Longbottom and Luna Lovegood, they were known at the New Marauders.

"You sure Nick? You've been out of it a lot lately. This has anything to do with what happened at the restaurant?"

He sighed. Dudley was starting to become persistent. Another thing no one imagined Dudley having. "Maybe."

"You think she's right? That Harry's alive."

"Maybe. It's just…my parents have just come around. Mum was finally getting the restaurant off the ground and Dad was beginning to go back to work. They looked everywhere for him for five years. They almost got divorced over it. And now some git is going around looking like him…You should have seen my mum when she came. She looked so desperate…like she really wanted it to be him…" He stared at the fireplace, his hazel eyes wavering between emotions.

"There's more isn't there. You're worried that this might actually be Harry."

"Have you been talking to Hannah Abbot about child psychology again?" Nick asked. Dudley just shrugged and the hazel eyed boy sighed. He rubbed the scar on his forehead. Normally, doing this would mean Voldemort was near, in a bad mood, or both. However, tonight, it was merely part of an ongoing headache.

"We were terrible to him Dud. Every since the day I got this stupid scar, my parents gave everything to me. I'm the Boy Who Lived, the savior of wizard kind. I ended up being a spoiled git. I treated Harry like a House Elf and not a brother. If he didn't do what I wanted, I'd call for my parents and they'd make him do it by quilting him into it or by swatting at him. We'd forget his birthdays too. His birthdays! How can you forget a guy's birthday when it's the same day as yours?" He sighed in frustration, covering his face with his hands. "We didn't even know he was missing until a week later. I don't blame him for leaving."

"Really? That's new for you. Normally you hex anyone who makes fun of your parents."

"I said I wouldn't blame him for leaving. I never said anything about not hexing him for what he did. If he's alive, and never bothered to show him face, not even a letter, then I'm going to hex him into oblivion before dragging his ass to my parents. Being smothered to death by overly affectionate parents is punishment enough."

Dudley broke out laughing, watching his cousin fume. Dudley's loud laughter brought a small smile to the boy's face. If Harry was alive, he was determined to do what his parents couldn't and bring him back.

.

.

.

"Mum, I'm off to bed."

"Hmm, oh, very good Ginny." Molly Weasley said softly, but she made no move from her seat. Ginny sighed and left the room. It was to be expected really. Her mother rarely left her seat, always staring out the window, holding the ratty, old stuffed bear as if it were a life line. She knew mom was keeping hope strong, wishing for Ron to come home or be found, but sometimes it was better to move on. She'd rather have a dead brother than a mother who was slowly dying. It was a cruel thought, and she hated herself for it, but it was the truth.

Walking into the room she once shared with Ron, she walked over and sat on his bed. They still kept it, even after all these years. Though most of the room had changed, she kept Ron's half of the room the same as it had been ten years ago. Nothing had been misplaced or picked up. Some of the toys stilled littered the floor, which drove her OCD wild. Every day she would dust that side of the room to keep it clean. Sometimes she would come in and see her mom sitting on Ron's bed, looking around like a lost soul or simply talking as if he were there.

With a sigh, she picked up the useless wand that was sitting on her nightstand. Her thoughts traveled back four years ago, when she last used it. She had been tricked by a cursed diary given to her by that no good Malfoy. It sapped her magic each time she wrote in it, taking comfort in Tom to heal her emptiness. She was a fool for thinking something like that could replace her brother. Near the end of her first year, she was taken into the Chamber of Secrets, where she would have died if Nicholas Potter hadn't arrived in time. He saved her life that night. However, she had been drained of nearly all her magical powers. The Healer said she barely had any left to cast a simple levitation charm. If she were to ever use her magic again, she could die from the trauma a shattered core would cause. Of course this only further threw her mother into depression.

She laid herself down on Ron's bed, and though she was oversized, she felt comfortable on it. Putting the wand back where it was, she turned off the desk lamp. Not a second later she heard her mother's voice.

"What do you mean you saw Ron!?"


	6. Anger Management Skills

Sloth: Ok, I don't know why, But I'm not one of those guys who take forever to put the characters up in a bad situation. It was so boring trying to come up with multiple chapters of Harry and company working at a joke shop when we all now they're just going to be spotted sooner or later. I put five days later :) Sorry if it's rushed, I feel it was rushed. But it's just in my nature to get to the point.

Oh, a little heads up, I put in some clues for another twist. My challenge is to see who can spot it.

Enjoy.

* * *

**Anger Management Skills**

"I hate kids."

"Red, half of these kids are the same age as you."

"….I hate kids."

Autumn rolled her eyes before returning to the register. They had just opened a second Weasley Wizarding Wheezes in Hogsmeade the day before. Word got out quickly and before they knew it, they were crowded with Hogwarts students. Fred and George were right when they said that the students would come flocking. Apparently their products were very popular when the twins were in Hogwarts and students couldn't wait to buy some. At the moment, Autumn and Red were working while Raven went to get a new product the twins had invented and Bleach went to get food. She was working the register while Red went around restocking or helping people. The four of them quickly realized Red did not like third years at all.

She had to admit, this job was a lot more fun than they had first though. The Weasley twins were geniuses. They had so many amazing products, like their firecrackers and Extendable Ears. She enjoyed learning about the different gags and what they did. Although the boys just like setting some of them off. In fact, they had almost got shut down yesterday because Bleach set off a Dragon Whizzer. Had Fred and George not said it was a publicity stunt, they could have been shut down for sure. After finishing with her current customer, Autumn looked up at the entrance. Her face fell at the sight of four young students. She recognized them as the same four that ate at The Potted Blossom last week.

"See, I told you this would cheer you up," the tall, bulky one told Raven's near identical copy. The boy shrugged and the young blond girl pulled him in another direction.

"Come Nicholas. I'm sure they have something interesting over there." The girl said, pulling Raven's twin towards Red. Autumn prayed Red's temper would stay in check. He never liked Raven's family. He said that if they hadn't been focused on their "savior" Raven would have had a better life. Even though Raven said he was fine with where he was now, Red's protective instincts still made him violent against the Potters. Hell, the reason he didn't want to leave a tip was because "Lily didn't diverse it".

"Excuse me miss," she turned to see the bulkier boy. "How much is this?"

"Oh, five sickles," she replied as she inwardly prayed Red took his potion this morning. God help them if he didn't.

Red had just gotten done stacking some products when a blond and Raven came over. He was about to question his friend when he noticed Raven wasn't wearing glasses and his eyes were hazel. His eyes narrowed. If only he hadn't agreed not to violently assault anyone or to pull out his sword. Although that didn't mean he couldn't imagine it. As a cartoonish image of him chasing Nicholas Potter with his sword formed in his head, the blond started speaking to him.

"Excuse me, but do you have any Nargles?"

He stared.

"The hell are those?"

"Sorry about that," Nicholas stared, "that's just Luna's way of greeting people."

"That's an interesting greeting." He replied, trying to be pleasant. "So are you here to buy something or what?"

"Oh, we're just looking." Luna said. Red tried to hide the scowl.

"Loitering's illegal."

"What? No it isn't."

"Well it should be. People come in, come out, never buy a bloody thing. We're not a sodding art gallery. " Red stormed off to the other side of the shop, muttering about no good pure-bloods.

"Well he was a ball of sunshine." Nick remarked. Luna nodded in agreement before her ADD kicked in.

"Oh look, Pygmy Puffs. You know they sing on Boxing Day."

.

.

.

"Here you go. Four cheese burgers, butterbeer floats, and fries. It'll be a moment before your pie's done though."

"That's fine.

Lily handed Bleach the special take-out box. He handed her ten gallons in exchange.

The Potted Blossom had quickly become the number one eating establishment for the Four Blurs. Even Raven had admitted to enjoying the place. However the boy refused to go alone or without a disguise. Not that it mattered really since Petunia Evans had announced they would be doing take out now. The restaurant was growing quickly in popularity despite last week's fiasco. Although Lily did cover the place with so many wards he was surprise the place was still standing. And better yet, Lily didn't recognize him with his charmed cap on.

It was something they had gotten from Fred and George as the first week's payment bonus. Their caps had all been charmed to give them different appearances. As long as they wore them, they wouldn't look completely different to other people. Still, they could help but feel the twins were trying to keep them at Hogsmeade because the hats only worked in Hogsmeade. Raven, the unofficial leader he was, told them to keep an eye for those two.

"It's lovely the twins decided to put up another shop." Lily said, trying to start up a conversation while they waited. Bleach took this opportunity to get some more info on the twins.

"Really? Why's that?"

"Well, they've always been the little entrepreneurs. It also gives them something to work on besides the Order. I know their mother would want it that way."

"Why?"

"Oh, it's not my business to tell." Bleach nodded. At least he knew Lily wasn't a gossip like her sister.

"Can you tell me anything about the twins though? Like, what were they like in Hogwarts."

"Well, they're pretty much like how they are now. Happy, always playing jokes on people. They actually taught my husband a thing or two and James was the 'king of pranksters' in his day." Lily said, rolling her eyes at her husbands' title. "Have they not told you much about themselves?"

"No actually. They've been real busy with stuff."

"I see. Well, if you want to know more, there sister actually works for us." She pointed over to the young red head that was finishing up with a customer. "Her name's Ginny. I warn you though; she's inherited her family's temper."

"She looks young to be working here. Shouldn't she be in school?"

"Again, that's not my place." There was a ringing and Lily perked up. "Pie's ready." She walked over to the pie oven on the back counter and pulled out a freshly hot pie. After using a cooling charm, she cut a slice and placed it in a box that she handed to Bleach. "Here you go. Enjoy."

"Thank you Mrs. Potter."

"Please, call me Lily." She offered before he left. As Bleach left the restaurant, Ginny came over, putting an empty tray onto the counter.

"It sure is busy today."

"You can thank you brothers for that," Lily joked. "More kids have been coming in thanks to their new shop."

The younger red head laughed.

"Well thank you Fred and George. You know I've been meaning to go check it out. I'll probably do it during my break."

"Well why wait dear?" Petunia asked as she came over and set down her own tray. "You can take your break now."

"That's a great idea Tuny!" cutting another slice of pie, Lily handed it to Ginny. "You can eat this while you're at it. Nothing like one of Petunia's strawberry kiwi pies to brighten up the day."

"Are you sure? There are an awful lot of people here."

"Oh go Ginny before we're resorted to firing you if it means you'd get a break. You've been working much too hard lately. Perhaps it's time to hire another person Lils."

"Hmm, maybe you're right Tuny. Maybe a boy that we can later match Ginny with."

At the mention of being paired with someone, Ginny covered her ears.

"Ahh, alright, alright I'll go take my break." Grabbing a fork and the pie, Ginny left, leaving the two women laughing. They sighed as they watched her go.

"It's about time she's taken a break. She works too hard." Lily said, concern in her voice.

"Probably trying to fill that void in her heart. I remember what it was like losing a sibling. Did everything I could to fill that void, even to the point of marrying a no good husband. It's only worse when she's lost her magic and her mother's not all there."

"Tuny…"

"Well, enough talk. We've work to do. Maybe we should get the boys to help once in a while."

"Ha! That'll be the day."

.

.

.

"You look like crap."

"Shut up Blondie."

Raven shook the soot off his head. He had returned from Fred and George's workshop where the twins had been testing a new product. The product was apparently supposed to make steam. Their idea was to put it in a room and create your own little steam room. It worked at first, until it started smoking and firing soot out instead. When they had managed to control the thing, it looked like a volcanic blizzard had occurred. At least he managed to get the original product he had gone there for.

"What did you get?"

"Apparently it's a teddy bear that transfigures itself into a spider when hugged."

"For Red?"

"For Red."

They both sniggered at the memory of the first time they saw Red with a spider. They had been sleeping in the orphanage when the red head starting screaming. They had been confused at why he was jumping on his futon, trying to crush something on it. He gone on and on about a horrible monster and how it needed to die. When Raven had discovered the whole thing transpired because of a garden spider, he wet himself laughing. Ironically that was also the first time he found out Red had a good left hook.

"Good times." Bleach laughed. Raven nodded and smiled.

"Here's hoping it stays that way."

They were both about to enter the shop when a flash of red caught their sights. Looking over, they saw Ginny making her way towards them whiles he ate some pie. But that was only the first of a major problem. Another red head appeared. This one was a plump aging woman who looked like Ginny. The young girl was taken back at the sight of the woman and gave her a hug. It dawned on the boys that this was Molly Weasley. They had heard that the woman rarely left her home, and to see her right there, with Ginny, turning towards the shop, the boys' faces went pale.

Panicked, they both ran into the shop, moving out of the way of a third year. They needed to get Red out of there. He was already short tempered about the whole thing with his brothers. The last thing he needed was to see his sister and mom. The first time Red had saw Ginny he kept giving her the evil eye and not wanting to tip her. And he was in a good mood that day. Raven and Bleach both knew what it was like to run into someone they'd rather not see, but Red _was_ the temperamental one. Especially during this time of the month.

When they got in, they found Autumn taking care of some costumers, but Red was nowhere to be found. They ran over to their female companion.

"Autumn, where's Red?"

"In the back room why?"

"Ginny and her _mom_ are coming!"

"What? Why?"

"I don't know, maybe because this place is called _Weasley _Wizarding Wheezes. They must think they'd get a discount or something."

"Or that Fred and George might be here."

"Well the only Weasley here doesn't want anything to do with his own family," Autumn said. "We've got to act fast….uh, uh…Bleach go distract them, Raven go lock the back room."

"What about you?" the blond asked.

"Someone's got to be here and make sure nothing too terrible happens." The boys nodded and started to leave, but Autumn quickly stopped Raven. "Wait, before you end up doing any stupid, your brother's here."

"What? Why would you tell me?" Raven asked, his face turning into a slight scowl.

"Because when you get angry, you can control it, Red can't."

"Good point. Do you know if Red took his potion?" Seeing his friend shrug he sighed. "Wish me luck then." He left, but not without Autumn telling him not to shoot anyone.

As he got to the back door, it was starting to open and he had to slam himself against it, forcing Red back inside.

"Oi! What the bloody hell are you doing?"

"Uh….stay boy?"

"Raven? You lost your bloody mind of something? Open the bloody door."

"Believe it or not mate, but this is for your own good. It's only for a little while anyways."

There was a deep, animalist growl from the other side of the door and Raven knew this had not been a good day for Red. The boy must have been holding a lot of anger that would normally be filtered out by now through drinking or raiding. Since Red obviously has done any of that today, he was slowly building up like a coke bottle rocket. Someone just needed to drop the mentos in so they could watch him blow up.

"Raven, I'm very tired and your git of a brother has been rubbing me the wrong way. Now, you can either let me the fuck out or I can sick Cerberus on your pansy white ass! What's it going to be mate?"

Bracing himself for the explosion, Raven smirked. "I'm not that white."

Boom.

Before Red's explosive escape out of the back room, Bleach had managed to intercept the Weasley women, smiling broadly.

"Welcome ladies, to Weasley Wizarding Wheezes! How may I help you today?"

"Oh, such a polite boy. But we're fine." Molly said. "We just came by to see the twins. Can't be too careful with them around."

"Oh, no you can't." Bleach said, looking behind where Autumn was distracting Potter and his friends from venturing towards the backroom. "But…they're not here right now."

"Oh? They said they wanted to see me. Well I guess I best be going then…" Bleach sighed in relief.

"Oh come on mum, this is the first time you've gotten out of the house. The least you could do is stay a while. Maybe they'll show up later."

"No!" they stared at him. "I mean…Why don't you go get something to eat. You look famished."

"Well, I am feeling a little puckish." Molly said softly. She turned to her daughter, "And I did come here to have tea with you dear."

Bleach smiled proudly at his work. "Mum I'm eating pie right now. And I've been forced to take my break." He frowned.

"Well maybe you can go shopping. Over there." They stared at him, one with a raised brow and the other with a suspicious glare. "Just saying is all…"

"Why so interested in what we're going to do?" Ginny asked him. She started advancing on him and Bleach found himself walking back. The fiery girl was reminding him of Red on a bad day. No wonder they were related. "Maybe we want to just browse around. My mum's supposed to meet Fred and George here. Wonder what they would think of their employees if they found out they were bossing customers away from the shop." She was on him, standing on her tip toes to glare at him.

Yup, this was definitely Red's sister.

"Ginny dear, it's alright." Molly said, tiredly walking over to her daughter. She gently pulled the girl away from the paling blond. "I need to tell you something in private anyways. We can go to the Blossom and have a nice chat. And I would enjoy a pit of pie too. Petunia makes the best. The flavors just explode in your mouth."

An explosion rocked the shop.

"Red! You stupid boy!"

Smoke started to dissipate out of building. Raven was glad that Red had thrown a product in testing instead of using his Release spell. He pulled himself out from under the fallen door, brushing dust and soot off himself. He really needed a bath after all this. Autumn had run over from behind the counter to start yelling at the boy when she froze. Raven looked up. He followed her gaze to Red where was standing red faced. Cap missing.

"Uh oh."

"Uh oh is right! What the bloody hell were you thinking trying to lock me in there?"

"Red…"

"I've had a long day and _that's_ how you repay me?"

"Red…"

"It's bad enough I have to work for two idiots, but now my friends want to lock me in a bloody closet?!"

"Red!"

"What?!"

Raven picked up the boy's fallen cap while Autumn pointed a thumb behind her. Right at two staring red headed women. His face paled. And he had no Instant Darkness on him.

"Oh shit."

And that's how their first day on the job went.


	7. Talk About Sibling Rivalry

Sloth: Hey guys, sorry for the delay, but I went to go see Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief on Friday. It was awesome and added fuel to my PJO muse. If your ever interested in the series, pick up the book. I've also got a PJO fanfic going and I'm trying to update both that and this story at the same time. Not much to say about this chapter except for some for shadowing. Oh, a Red shows what he's made of. I do apologize for speeding the fight scene though. Promise to make them last longer.

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. but I do plan on going to the theme park.

* * *

**Talk About Sibling Rivalry**

You'd think that, after years of living on the streets, being able to out run and brace themselves for anytime of surprise, the four of them would know what to do when Red stood undisguised in front of his mother and sister. You would think they were smart enough to know what to do when the only ones in the shop were four Hogwarts students, four runaways, and two Weasleys. And, most important of all, you'd think Red would be smart enough to grab his own disguise cap. You'd be very mistaken.

"RED YOU BASTARD!" Raven barked as he quickly placed Red's cap on his head. However, no matter how fast he was, people's eyes were faster.

"Harry?"

Raven locked eyes with Nicholas. The twins stared at each for a brief second before Raven bolted, dragging Red with him. They ran past the two Weasleys just as Nicholas broke out of his daze and ran after them. Ginny was the second to snap out of her daze and ran after the boys. Molly stood there in a dazed. No one else moved. They just stood there, watching the woman for her reaction. Three of them were waiting for see what she would do, knowing the inner turmoil in the aging woman. The other two weren't sure how to react. And then, Molly Weasley collapsed on the floor.

"Well, we're fired."

.

.

.

Four young teens ran across Hogsmeade, entering Hogwarts' school grounds. Raven no longer had to drag Red with him and the two were racing towards the apparition point at the Shrieking Shack. They needed to get out of there fast before their siblings caught up with them and expose them more than they needed to me. However, it seemed like they weren't the only ones fast on their feet. Nicholas and Ginny were quickly closing in. In a desperate attempt to throw them off their tail, the two made a sharp turn and ran into the Forbidden Forest. Nicholas and Ginny ran right in.

"Don't they know when to give up?" Red asked.

"They're related to us," Raven replied. "Giving up isn't in their genes."

"Good point."

They lunged over a fallen log and, through a silent message, split up. Raven ran to the left and Red went right. Nicholas flew over the log and stumbled to the left. Ginny followed swiftly, but fell to the ground. Cursing, she got to her feet, looking around and trying to see where her target went. Ron was out of her sight. She looked around her, breathing hard as she tried to catch her breath. She had never gone into the forest before. She never even amused the thought of going into it her first and only year. It didn't look as dark and foreboding as she first thought. Drawing in a large gulp of air, she ran forward.

Raven came to a stop, catching his breath. He hid himself behind a tree, looking past both sides. No one. He was starting to think running out of the shop wasn't the best thing to do. But they couldn't be too careful. Red and he had been exposed to the worst possible people. And if Nicholas was still a pompous, stubborn jackass, he'd be pursued until he'd apparated away. Catching his breath, he made a break for it towards the Shrieking Shack when he was suddenly tackled from the side. Nicholas plowed right into him, taking them both to the ground. His cap rolled off his head, officially confirming his twin's suspicions.

"I see you haven't changed _Nikky_," he grunted. "Still pushing people around I see."

Nick paused, staring at the bespectacled youth. The venomous nicknamed had confirmed his initial fears and fueled his temper. Reaching into his back pocket for his wand, Nick stood up and aimed it at Raven's chest. "Get up."

"What? No hello? No what's up baby brother?"

The wand wavered a bit, but Nick kept it on Raven. Raven stood up and they both stared at each other. The same, emotionless expression met face to face and neither made a move. Raven was the first to break as a sly smiled formed on his face. A thought occurred to him and he was beginning to form a plan to get out of this situation. Nick frowned at his brother's smile.

"What?"

"Nothing. This just brings back fond memories of our childhood. You, the big brother bullying his helpless baby brother; and me, the poor kid who had to do everything you said. Do you have anyone to bully now that I'm out of that miserable hell hole?"

"Shut up Harry. I'm not like that anymore. And _don't_ talk about our home like that."

"Or what? You'll hex me into next week? Or maybe you'll call for _daddy_ like you use to."

"I told you, I'm not like that anymore. I can do things on my own now."

"Like keeping someone hostage?" Nicholas growled. So far so good. It looked as if Nicholas still had his short temper. If he could get his brother to try and use a spell against him, he could grab Winchester and scare the brat off.

"I'm just making sure you don't run away for a fourth time. I want answers Harry. Like where the hell have you been? You have any idea what you did to Mum and Dad?"

"Hmm, let's see, the Daily Prophet claimed I was dead about five years ago…so I'm assuming they've been glad about that."

"They're miserable you slimy git!"

"Hmm, Lily, James, miserable…You know those words just don't go in a sentence."

"Like you'd know anything. You're the one who ran away."

"And you guys were the one who didn't give a crap until a week later."

Nick faltered. "How-"

"I can read you know. I was walking around Diagon Alley for a week when I read the Prophet. For someone who says he's changed, you sure are slow."

Nick frowned, but didn't fire off any spells. "You didn't seem to bother showing your face though."

"Can you blame me? I was used as a freaking house elf since I was one. Can you honestly tell me you're mad I didn't want a single thing to do with the family who abandoned me?"

"We never abandoned you! You're the one you ran out on us!"

"Because you're the ones who treated me like shit. Or did you not remember the beating I got for disobeying _Dad_?"

"We're different now…" Nicholas said steadily. "Dad's sorry. Mom's been a mess since she saw you."

"And you're…"

"What do you think you git?"

"Well you're holding me at wand point, so I can only assume you're still trying to bully me into something. Maybe coming home or to join the Chick-fill-A?" Nicholas raised an eyebrow in confusion. "Don't ask. It's a restaurant in the States. It's what we like to call your Order."

"So is that where you've been? Living in the States with your friends?"

"At least I have friends."

"Yeah, a bunch of runaways stealing from Diagon Alley. Real good friendship you got going on Harry."

It was his turn to growl.

"Don't talk badly about my friends Nicholas."

"Or what?" Nicholas found himself at blade point.

"I'll slit your bloody throat."

Ok, so neither one of their plans worked out so well. Where Raven was hoping to coax Nicholas into attacking first, Raven found himself threatening his brother. And where Nicholas planned on getting Harry to come with him back to see their parents, he instead possibly pissed off the kid. They faced each other with their own weapons of choice, flashbacks of their childhood going on in the heads. Calculating eyes stared at glaring eyes. The two brothers waited for the other to make the first move.

"Stupefy!"

The spells canceled each other out, a puff of smoke fluttering in the air. The tiny shock wave from the blast only ruffled their already messy hair. Green eyes stared into brown, both narrowing at each other. The wind rustled the leaves of the trees in anticipation of the fight.

"Nice trick. Didn't know you could do that with a sword."

"There's a lot you don't know about me Nikky."

"Care to share?"

"Um….No."

They both prepared to fire again when an ear splitting scream drew their attention. Nicholas froze and his mouth dropped open.

"Ginny!"

.

.

.

She should have stopped following them. She should have stayed with her mother, who by now must be worrying about two missing children. She should have gone to confront Fred and George for keeping their brother in the dark instead of going on this stupid escapade. But most importantly of all, she should have never, ever, thought the Forbidden Forest wasn't dangerous looking. Some of the most dangerous things seemed harmless.

Especially big black dogs that looked like crossbreeds between Grims and werewolves.

"N-nice doggies," she said as she backed away from the three hellhounds that she had wandered into. Hellhounds were nasty creatures. They were the size of cars, with coal black fur and flaming red eyes. Some hellhounds were known to breathe fire like dragons and a mature hellhound was said to grow to the size of an eighteen wheeler. There was a myth in wizardology that when you see a hellhound, the number meant a different fate. Seeing one meant you'd have good luck. Seeing two would get you bad luck and seeing three meant you'd see death. She wondered if that death would be from the three of them trying to eat her.

"I-I think I'll just be going now."

One of them lunged at her and she screamed as she fell to the floor, narrowly missing the beast. Scrambling quickly to her feet, the young girl ran like hell was after her. Well, technically yes hell was after her and she'd rather not have it catch her.

"The next time I see Ron or the Potters I'm kicking their ass! Ahh!"

.

.

.

He came to a stop at the Shrieking Shack, wondering where the hell his friend had gone. They split up to lose their pursuers, but it shouldn't have taken Raven so long to get there. Panting, Red slid down against the shack, looking around through tired eyes. He supposed he might have gone a little bit overboard when he threw that…that…whatever that was at the door, but he felt that they shouldn't have locked him in the back room. Although, if they had at least told him what was going on he might not have decided to throw things. Honestly, how was he supposed to know his mom and Ginny were there?

He looked up to get the sideways glance at the shack. Though the four never liked coming anywhere near Hogwarts, they had to admit, the Shrieking Shack sure had its benefits. Boss had introduced it to them five years ago after the incident. And though he never had fond memories when he visited, it was good to be somewhere his teacher brought them.

A scream split his musing and he looked up to see someone running out of the forest. His eyes widened at the sight of the three hellhounds chasing after her. He was suddenly torn between going out to rescue her and avoiding confrontation. She fell and he cursed.

After tripping over a piece of wood, Ginny cursed her bad luck and turned in time to see a hellhound lunge at her. She screamed, mentally saying goodbye to her loved ones and wishing for a quick, painless death. It never came.

"Bark! Cerberus!"

There was a roar as flames encircled her, forming a magical barrier. The flames made a ferocious barking sound that managed to rebel the attacking beast and send it flying into its pack. Through the dying fire, Ginny could make out a figure standing between her and the hellhounds. He had a wooden, three segmented spear in his hand; a sharp sickle extending viciously from one end of it while the other end had the traditional bladed point. She noticed the fire was receding into the bladed point until nothing but a burnt circle around her remained.

"Ron…"

"Don't mention it. No, really, pretend I'm not here if you know what's good for you," he said, not even bothering to give her a glance. Instead, he stared at the hounds, which regained their composure and were squaring off against him.

They attacked. With dog like speeds, Red swung the spear, slamming the shaft into the first hound and then the second one. As the third came at him, he brought the spear down in its cranium. There was a cracking sound and the beast went limb.

"Bloody hell…"

"It's about to get bloodier." Red said as the two other hellhounds got back up. In the distance he could see Raven and his twin racing out of the forest. A smirked formed seeing his friend. As soon as they were done they could leave.

A vicious growl to his left drew his attention and he swung just as the damn thing lunged at him. He slammed it with the blunt side of the curved blade before slashing it with the other end of Cerberus. Ginny could have sworn she heard the weapon howl in satisfaction. The second hellhound struck and Red ducked under, flipping to slash under the beast's stomach. Smoke pillowed out from the wound and Red watched with a satisfying smirk as it slumped to the ground.

By the time Raven and Nicholas got down to them, Red had backhanded the last hellhound and rammed Cerberus into its maw. The hellhound choked before the boy severed its head from the inside out. With the last hellhound gone, Cerberus reverted back into its sealed form with a howl and Red was panting from exhaustion due to the fire shield he had cast to protect Ginny. He wasn't even sure he could pull of the spell, but was thankful none the less.

"Had fun?" Raven asked.

"Those mutts had nothing on me"

"Bloody hell, those are hellhounds! You killed hellhounds." Nicholas gaped.

"Anything's possible if you try hard enough," Red grinned briefly. He stood straight and stared at Raven. The green eyed youth nodded and they both bolted towards the Shrieking Shack. Red didn't make it very far though. He had forgotten Ginny was behind him and when he turned, she grabbed him by the ankle before assaulting him.

"You bastard!" she cried. She started hitting him with her fist, catching all three boys off guard.

"Ow! Stop that! I just saved your life!"

"A lot that's going to do when you're just going to leave us again!" she yelled. Nick attempted to pry her off, but she pushed him away and continued to wail on her brother. Red tried to fight back, but something told him hitting her wouldn't be right, no matter how angry he was getting.

"It's none of your business what I do Ginny."She kneed him in the groin, effectively knocking the wind out of his sails.

"Don't call me that! You don't deserve to call me that anymore. You left us! You left us!"

"I did no such thing!" Red barked back. Ginny stopped hitting him, taken back by the sound of the animalistic retort. Red managed to shove her off and stood up, eyes flaring. "I never ran out on this family. _You_ were the ones who left me at that alley. Don't go blaming me for your stupid mistake!"

"Then how come you never gave us a clue to where you were Ron? You have any idea what we've been through? Mum's never been the same! She just sits there on your chair with your teddy every day! Sometimes she talks as if you were still around." He ignored her and turned. "Percy even tried to kill himself Ron!"

He froze. They all did. Tears were streaming down her face by now as she recalled Percy's suicide attempt.

"He kept blaming himself…He was supposed to watch you and when you were gone….No one talked to him for weeks Ron. We never said it, but we blamed him…If Charlie hadn't walked in…Please Ron. We want you back. We've never stopped looking for you."

"Well you should." Red replied coolly. He disappeared on the spot. Raven gave the two one final look before following suit.

Ginny stared at the spot where her brother had gone. She heard Nick's footsteps, felt his hand on her shoulder, and allowed herself to cry.

"Come on Ginny. Let's get you back to your mom. Don't worry, we'll get them back. I promise."

.

.

.

"Thank goodness you guys made it back!" Autumn said, running over to give them both a hug. Bleach and she had managed to get back before the two of them. They had used the floo network to get to WWW in Diagon Alley before coming to the apartment. She had been worried to death about the two of them, fearing the worst. "What happened?"

"We got side tracked. Red had to rescue Ginny from hellhounds. Things were said."

"Oh. Red, I'm sorry."

"It's ok." He muttered. They noticed how his energy seemed to have diminished severely. His eyes were blank and he expressed no emotion as he walked over to the fridge. He pulled out some butterbeer and no one said anything about his plans to get drunk. "If you don't mind, I'm going to be out on the porch."

"Really Red, I'd expect better from one of my students."

He paused as did the rest of them. Slowly they turned to the now opened front door. Standing there was a tall man with long black hair. He wore a tunic over his dress shirt and pants. Slung over his shoulder was a brown carrying bag and strapped to his side was a wand holster that carried a shrunken blade. A smirk greeted them through the curtain of hair.

"What? No welcome for you teacher?"

* * *

Quicktrivia: Ron Weasley, aka Red, is the oldest of the four blurs. His weapon is based off of a weapon from the anime Bleach. The idea was also from someone's review suggestion. If you haven't figured it out yet, Red's initial spell for Cerberus was Incindio. Originally I was going to have him say "Burn Cerberus", but due to a sudden plot idea, I changed it to "bark."

Until next time.


	8. Boss

Sloth: Uh...hehe, whoops....I forgot to update. Um...ok, there really isn't an excuse for this. I did have chapter 8 ready like weeks ago. I was just trying to write the next four chapters. I'll tell, I hate boring chapters that have no action in them. I actually skipped some chapters and wrote fighting scenes. However, since I'm in spring break, I will take this week to write the next seven chapters properly instead of doing the action scenes.

Also, I just became aware that some guy named Nick Simmons or something like that is being accused of copying off of Bleach. I will tell you know, as I have before, this story is a harry potter mixed with Bleach concepts. If you've seen Bleach, the swords turning into weapons and the Shikia, and even the mentioning of some Bleach characters are all references to Bleach. Hell, Draco Malfoy's name in this story is Bleach because I wanted it to be a humorous reference to the anime. The only thing I own is the plot and the weapon names/forms/powers. Also, if you've seen or read Bleach, you will recognize someone from the anime in this chapter.

Well, enough of my blabbering. Onto the chapter!

* * *

**Boss**

"Severus!" Autumn cheered as she ran over and gave the man a hug. He gave a light chuckle before returning the hug.

"It's good to see you too Autumn. My, how you've grown into a lovely young lady. I see you haven't allowed the boys to badly influence you."

Bleach scoffed playfully. "We're not bad influences. Are we Rav?"

"No, not at all." He chuckled before going over and giving Severus a short hug. "It's great to see you again Boss."

"Now Raven, I've told you plenty of call me Severus."

"Yeah, but Boss sounds cooler." Bleach commented as he also hugged the man. Severus rolled his eyes. He then turned to the solemn looking red head.

"Red? Don't I get a greeting?"

"Uh, yeah. Hey Boss. Um…I'll be on the porch if you need me."

He turned and hopped out the window to the small landing connected to it. They watched as he slouch down and popped open a butterbeer. Raven sighed before turning to Severus.

"We've kind of run into a few problems the past few weeks."

"Ah yes, I've noticed." He reached into his bag and pulled out the Daily Prophet. He showed the headlines to Raven, who blushed feverishly. The words "**Lost Boys Reappear**" blared right at him. Autumn took the paper and read over the first few lines.

"During the Death Eater raid on Diagon Alley this past Tuesday, lost boys Draco Malfoy, Harry Potter, and Ron Weasley, accompanied by an unidentified person….I'm an unidentified person? This is why I hate journalists!"

"Clearly you four have been up to some mischief while I was away." Severus chuckled lightly.

"It wasn't our fault." Bleach defended. Severus eyed him and the blond shrunk slightly.

"Really, you didn't," he turned to the paper, "'assault Death Eater Lucius Malfoy with a magical chain and charged into the fray waving swords like barbarians."

"We weren't barbaric with it." Autumn defended. "At least I wasn't…I hope this isn't why you're here to check up on us Severus."

"Yes, well in light of your exposure, I had to make my way over; per request of Minister Yamamoto."

"How is the old fart anyways?" Raven asked before walking over and plopping himself on the couch.

"Same as usual: old and grumpy. When he saw the papers Hedwig delivered, he wanted me to come discipline you for 'showing off to meatheads'."

Bleach instantly stood straight and covered his rear with his hands. "That's not why you're here is it!?"

"Come now B. I think you've all out grown corporal punishment." He raised an eyebrow at the boy. "At least I hope so."

"So if you're not here to spank Blondie until he cried for his mum again," Raven ducked the plastic cup thrown his way, "why are you here? Not that we haven't missed you or anything Boss, but independence is a hard thing to give up."

Nodding, Severus placed his bag down on the couch. He sighed before looking over the three in the room and the one out on the porch. They were a bunch of no good misfits when he had met them and now they were a bunch of teenage misfits. He couldn't be any prouder. When he had first met them, Raven and Red had been trying to steal from his bag. Their excuse was that they were looking for medicine for young Autumn, who had contracted the flu. They were so young to be living on the streets; only ten years of age. The fact that they had managed to live in the muggle world for four years was astonishing and it was only by sheer, dumb luck that he recognized them for the wizards they were.

He remembered how they use to be, as if it were yesterday. They hadn't yet taken on their aliases, going by their given names for years now. He recalled how Harry Potter had been a shy, but intelligent boy. He always seemed to be sizing people up, his emerald green eyes calculating everyone or everything in sight. He had been a lot kinder back then. Severus blamed himself for the boy's snarky attitude. The child possibly spent too much time by his side. He had gone from a sweet, shy child to a brave, snarky young man who eventually took to leading this group of misfits.

The same could be said for Draco Malfoy. The child may have looked like his father, but that was where the similarities end. The boy was more like his mother and even though he was…proud at first, he proved to be quite friendly. Severus was actually surprised to see the blond become friendly with a muggleborn, but when one makes friends, the lines between muggleborn and pureblood become blurred. Now, he the blond was a childish, sarcastic, and playful opposite to the Malfoy standards.

Then there was fragile little Hermione Granger. It seemed as if every day of the week she would catch some sort of ailment due to their living situation. She was reluctant and clung to one of the boys at a time. He had visited them many times before she eventually spoke. She was far from the girl she once been, no longer needing the boys to watch out for her. She was a strong, independent, and fierce woman.

Finally, there was Ron Weasley. Back then, Ron had been the leader of their little group. He was clumsy, hot tempered, and brash, but he was always protective. That boy had been the one to steal from Severus and he watched the man with hawk like eyes whenever he was around one of the younger kids. After the _incident_ however, Severus got to see the softer side of the Weasley and was proud to see the man Ron had become.

"Boss? Boss."

"Hmm? Oh, my apologies. I was musing about something."

"Does this have anything to do with why you're here?" Autumn asked.

"Always the cleaver one Autumn. Yes, it does. I've been thinking, and it may be time you four left London. For good."

Bleach, who had took a sip of butterbeer, spat out in surprise. "Leave?! But we like it here!"

"Even with long lost relatives knocking at your door?"

"Severus, you can't be serious." Autumn asked. She walked over to the couch and sat in front of the man, with Raven by her side. "We've been doing great here. We've even managed to get honest jobs until the war is over."

"Can you honestly tell me you're happy about that?"

There was an awkward silence. To be honest, they weren't all too thrilled about making honest income. They were only doing it to avoid being a part of the war. Not to mention they had already ran into some unpleasant company. From the look on their teacher's face, he knew it too.

"Well….it's fun."

"War is hardly a fun thing Bleach. I can assure you of that. If you plan on staying in London, you all must know that you will be pursued by both sides. You'll eventually have to pick and the side you didn't choose will take out everyone you hold dear to you. Not joining a side will only cause you more suffering."

"You mean like your wife and daughter." Raven said mournfully. Severus sighed.

"Yes. Because I refused to join the Death Eaters, they took the two people I cherished most, despite being neutral in the war. I do not want anything happening to any one of you. I've already talked to a colleague in San Francisco and she'll allow the four of you to reside in her manor with her granddaughters until this whole war is over."

"And if we choose to stay?" Raven asked almost defiantly. Severus smirked.

"If you choose to stay, then I'm afraid you'll have to quit your 'activities'. By now, everyone will know of the Four Blurs and who they are." Autumn made a bitter comment that they only knew three out of four Blurs, which made him chuckle.

"You're going to pick a side aren't you?" Bleach suddenly spoke. Severus raised an eyebrow.

"Bleach, I'm impressed. You've gotten quicker my boy." The blond shrugged passively. "Yes, I am going to join the war this time. Let's say I've unfinished business to take care of."

There was a long silence. They knew what unfinished business he meant. Finally, after what felt like hours in silent musing, Raven decided to speak.

"So…whose side are you on? Snake face or Chick-fill-A?"

"I'll only give you a guess." The man turned to the porch, where Red was trying to drink himself into a stupor. "I take it that the encounter with his siblings didn't go so well?"

"It's just that time of the month." Bleach commented crudely. "He's been moody all week. Seeing his mom and sister only made it worse."

"Ginny also told him something he didn't need to know." Raven added. His green eyes wavered with sympathy as he looked at his friend's back. "We were going to give him some space…"

"But since you're here," Autumn took over, "maybe you could talk to him? You were always good at cheering us up. Besides, he takes too much time looking out for us, he sometimes forget to worry about himself."

"You can't blame him can you? It's just in his nature to be the big brother." He stood up. "I can give it a shot." Three smiled returned to him and he gingerly walked over to the open porch window. He slipped out of the porch, taking a seat next to a passive looked Red. There was an empty bottle of butterbeer next to the boy and he was working on the second. "I see you've been productive."

"Sod off Boss. I'm not in the mood."

"Yes, I can tell. Working for your brothers, seeing your mother, rescuing your sister, and learning the chaos you've left them in. Those do seem to throw off one's mood."

"Stop peeking into my head Boss." Red growled, scooting away from his teacher. "Bloody Legilimen."

"My apologies, but teachers need to know what's troubling their student." Severus told him. He watched Red take another swig of his butterbeer. The boy muttered something about the drink not getting him drunk fast enough, and the man chuckled. "Always the joker."

"Someone has to be."

There was a long silence. Severus could hear the other three members of their group trying to listen in and be inconspicuous about it. However, with the way Bleach and Autumn loved to argue, it was hard not to hear them. A flick of his wrist and a privacy ward was put up. Bleach's cursing only put a smile on his face.

"You do realize that you don't have to keep things bottled up. If you want, you can go to your family-"

"I'm with my family." Red cut him off.

"Very well, then perhaps you could go to the Weasley and settle things with them. If you, as I know you will, want to join in on this war with the others, it is only fair you give them a chance. At least help heal Molly's heart."

"It wouldn't matter." Red said emotionlessly. Severus frowned at the boy's unusually stoic attitude. It almost reminded him of the time…It came to him like a ton of bricks. His face softened and he gently pulled the boy into a one armed hug. Red attempted to dislodge Severus from him, but found himself fighting both his teacher and tears to be quite difficult.

"They won't care you know."

"Yes they will." The boy croaked. "They've spent years looking for me in all the wrong places and if I go back now, I'll only disappoint them."

"You can never disappoint anyone Red. You've spent most of your life protecting Raven, Autumn, and Bleach. You've grown into a great man and despite everything that's happened; you've always managed to pull through. Why on earth you think you'll disappoint them?"

"Boss, I'm a bloody werewolf! I have to go to the Shrieking Shack once a month so I don't get anyone killed. Even with the stupid potion I can't control some of my actions because my magical core." He rubbed his nose with his forearm. "How can I go back when I know I've screwed them over just because I wouldn't stick close to Percy? He almost died because…because of…Why would they want me around?"

Severus held the red head. He knew this was only a side effect from Red's lycanthropy. Unlike other werewolves, thanks to his unique magical core, Red's lycanthropy mostly affected his emotions. Prior to the full moon, he would often be temperamental and easily set off. And though the wolfsbane potion helped with some of the ailments, his emotions were still off balanced.

He recalled that fateful night Red had been bitten. He had been eleven and after having successfully achieving the Shikai, Severus had decided to take them out to celebrate. That might have been their first mistake. The second was staying out too long and letting the boys out of his sight. A werewolf had been out prowling that night and spotted the three young ones. As usual, Red had used himself to protect his "brothers" and he had come just in time to send the beast to hell. It was too late to do anything for Red than to help him through his first few transformations. The boy had been emotional the entire year and hadn't sobered until his twelve birthday.

Now, the boy looked like the fragile child he had been years ago. He let the boy vent out his arrange of emotions. After a while, Severus turned to the boy, who had forgotten his half empty bottle of butterbeer.

"Better?"

"No. I still feel like shit."

"But….?"

Red stared at the streets below, watching cars drive by in the night. He sniffed.

"I don't know. I heard what you said and I sure as hell don't want to leave London. It's just..."

A smiled spread across Severus' face. He knew what Red was going to say and saved the boy the trouble.

"If there is anything I've taught you four, what was it? What, no matter the situation, must you always remember?"

It was Red's turn to smile.

"Anything's possible if you try hard enough."

"Exactly. Now best you get ready. It's going to be a long night." Red nodded and slowly the two went back inside. "And Red." The boy turned to his teacher, "give them a chance at least."

"No promises Boss. I've still got my own pack to look after."

.

.

.

"Run Fred!"

"Right behind you George!"

"Get back here you no good boys!"

It was definitely a sight to behold. When Lily had walked into the joke shop like her son had asked, she hadn't been expecting to see Molly chase after her twin sons with a broom in one hand and a wand in the other. From what Neville had told her, the two other employees Fred and George had hired left moments after Molly fainted. And when the Molly woke up, she calmly called for her sons, and after setting up anti-apparating wards, started attacking them. The fiery haired woman cornered them.

"I'll hex you both into next week!"

"Mum let us explain!"

"We wanted it to be a surprise!"

"Oooh! A surprise!" Molly turned to Lily, with a bright, almost psycho grin on her face. "They wanted it to be a surprise!" She turned to her boys and started hitting Fred with the broom. "How's this for a surprise!"

"Um, Molly maybe you should…" Lily stepped out of the way as the shorter woman ran after George, throwing her patented Spanking charm. "Oh, someone's upset."

"She's been like that for almost an hour now." Ginny spoke from where she stood. Nicholas stood just off to the side with his arms crossed and head down. Normally he would be back in school, but due to the current family matter, James had pulled him out for the day and sent the boy to wait for him in Hogsmeade. Lily went over to comfort her son.

"Nick…"

"I had him. He was right there and I let him get away."

"Nick, you know you can't force someone to do something they don't want. Even if it is for a good cause."

"I wasn't forcing him. It only counts if they're is kicking and screaming involved." She sighed, knowing there was no sense in trying to get him to see otherwise. All Potter men were stubborn mules. As she turned, she saw the biggest mule of them all.

"Hey James. How's work?"

"Terrible," the man replied. "I don't get to do anything when there's trouble around. I feel like a bloody baby sitter." He sighed "Is it true then? About the boys?"

"Unfortunately. They were right here James, right under my nose and I didn't even notice it."

"It's not your fault mum. Those two idiots thought they could hire them and keep it a secret. For what, I'll never know."

They all watch Molly assault the twins with various hexes and multiple broom swipes. Ginny had a sudden chuckle and the Potters turned to her.

"At least my mum's showing an emotion other than sad. Personally I think I like seeing her throttle the two of them." They all chuckled. A violent crash and Fred and George were cornered once again.

"Explain yourselves this instant!" Molly demanded, threatening them with the broom. Fred was the first to break.

"We wanted to get him use to the idea of being near family first!" he shouted. "It was George's idea!"

"I beg your pardon! I believe you were the one who wanted to hire them."

"Ah, but you were the one who didn't want mum coming onto him so suddenly."

"Did not."

"Did too."

"Did not!"

"Did too!"

Two loud whacks to the head and the boys went silence. A red faced Molly stared at them.

"Now, listen here, the both of you. I don't care whose fault it was, and I don't care for what reason, I just want you to tell me, why would you keep me in the dark? You _know_ how much I've suffered. I lost my own son and you kept him from me? Why would you do that to your own mother?"

Lily walked over to the woman as she was on the verge of tears. The twins both looked guilty and knew no amount of explaining could help them. At that moment, Dumbledore walked into the shop.

"Ah, Lily there you are. I was wondering why you called me."

Multiple looks of confusion met the aging professor. "I didn't call you Professor."

"Oh? But didn't you send your Patronus? You're the only one with a doe."

"Yes but, I've been here trying to calm down Molly. I don't know where-" Lily was cut off when the Emergency Daisy popped in front of her. The Daisy only appeared when a staff member of the Potted Blossom slammed their hand onto it. It would instantly appear in front of the nearest Order member to signal danger.

"Petunia! She's at the restaurant by herself!" Lily quickly dashed out of the joke shop with the others on her trail. The group of wizard sped through Hogsmeade to the restaurant, rushing through the open door. A frantic Petunia greeted them.

"Lily! He's back! That horrible man is back!"

"Who? It can't be Crutch, he's dead."

"Not that ingrate. Him!"

Everyone turned to see a tall man with long black hair and a crooked nose. Sitting around him were four smug looking teenagers. All five of them had a sword strapped to their waist.

"Ah Lily, Professor, it's great to see everyone's here."


	9. Midnight Lunchin'

Sloth: It's Friday and the next chapter to Blurring Your Perspective. I hope you enjoy they chapter because I'm not sure how it went. This might possibly be the shortest and or least loved chapter. Like I said before, I hate boring explanatory chapters.

I would like to point out though that this story keeps gaining more and more elements from Bleach. So if you are not familiar with that anime series, don't worry, just google it. In this chapter you learn a little bit more of the Four Blurs and about Snape. And don't judge James for being an overgrown child. lol, well, don't forget to leave a review and i'll see you next week...hopefully.

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or anything relating to Bleach. I'm just a theater major.

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**Midnight Lunchin'**

"So does Hogwarts have a pool?"

"Uh…no."

Bleach pouted from his seat. The teenagers, though as "mature" as they were had been confined to the kitchen while the adults discussed matters. The Four Blurs weren't particularly happy about it though. They had argued that they were actually mature enough to stay for the discussion. Severus just showed them the paper again and they begrudgingly followed Nicholas and Ginny into the kitchen. Not only was there a massive amount of awkward tension in the room, but Bleach was bored. And when he was bored, others suffered.

"What about TV?"

"Electronics down work at Hogwarts," Ginny explained, "the wards throw off the electrical frequencies."

"Well that's lame."

"Bleach, anything that doesn't agree with you is lame," Autumn said matter a fact. "Like that sandwich the other night. I told you not to use the spoiled ham, but did you listen to me? No."

Bleach rolled his eyes while the others stifled their own giggles. Ginny looked at each member of the Four Blurs. They were an odd bunch. Especially Harry and Ron. Earlier today she had seen them with the nastiest looks directed at their respectful siblings. Now, here they were, relaxed and happy as if Nicholas and she weren't in the room at all. They just laughed at Malfoy's embarrassment as the girl, Autumn was it, continue to tell stories. She turned to Nicholas and saw the mixed look on his face. He was either contemplating on what to make of the situation or how to talk to his brother again.

"So…anyone else enjoying the awkward moment or am I the only one?"

"Oh hush Bleach," Autumn told him. He childishly stuck out his tongue at her.

"Um, I have a question…that is, if you don't mind me asking." Ginny started before Autumn reprimand the blond.

"Shoot." Raven said.

"Why did you come back? I mean, you were all keen on leaving. It doesn't make sense that you would want to come back now all of a sudden."

"Trust me, we don't want to do this anymore than you guys want us around," Red said from where he sat.

"What Red means is that we're here to help in the war." Autumn explained. Nicholas raised an eyebrow.

"I'm sorry?"

"Your war with Moldywart is starting to affect our turf," Raven supplied. "We're just trying to get Death Eaters out of our territory."

"Oh is that it?" Nicholas questioned. "Aren't you guys charitable."

"Look, we just want things to be back to normal," Autumn explained, trying to be the peace maker as usual. The last thing she wanted was for Raven and Nicholas to have a show down in the back room. The two siblings were getting along famously really. They did nothing but glare at each other.

"How about a change in topic?" she suggested. "What's Hogwarts like?"

"Big."

"Oh…ok."

Silence lingered on. Out of the corner of her eye, Autumn saw Bleach playing with one of the knives, cutting the air with it. She stared at him.

"Bleach, what on earth are you doing?"

"Cutting the tension. Get it? Cutting the tension?"

Silence.

"Can I hit him?"

"Please."

There was a loud smacking sound, followed by Bleach cry of surprise. Red smiled at his work and sat back down. Ginny glanced at him from the corner of her eyes before turning back to the floor. She was starting to wish Fred and George was with her right now, but Molly had practically banished them back to their rooms. She said the two had seen enough of Ron and that their father would deal with them. The growing silence was unnerving and she started looking around the room to find something to start a conversation on. There had to be something they could talk about instead of just sitting there while they waited for the adults to finish talking. Her eyes landed on the swords strapped to Red's waist.

"What do you call those?" Five pairs of eyes stared at her in confusion. "Your swords I mean. I've never seen swords like them before."

"Oh. They're called Zanpaktou." Raven answered. "At least, that's what they're called in Japan."

"Japanese wizards use swords instead of wands?" Nicholas asked.

"No, only certain wizards do," Autumn answered," They're kind of in a different league than normal wizards. You can think of them as the police force. They're called Soul Reapers"

"Sounds kind of dark don't you think?" Nicholas asked, a hint of edge in his voice. Raven turned to glare at his brother.

"Not everything is based on Dark and Light _Nikkie_." the boy hissed. "I think Dumbledork has drilled too much of that Dark and Light nonsense into your tiny little brain."

"Don't talk about Dumbledore like that!"

"Make me!"

Nicholas reached for his wand the same time Raven reached for his weapon. The two growled at one another, their fingers gripping their weapon of choice. The others stood, some with worry in their eyes, others with gitty.

"Are you kids doing alright in here?" Lily asked as she just her head in through the door.

"Yes," they all said, turning towards her whist hiding and weapons and pulling the innocent act. Lily didn't suspect a thing.

"Oh, well there is some left over pie is you get hungry." She said before returning to the meeting that was taking place. Her sons returned to their glaring contest and before either could kill each other, both Autumn and Ginny spoke.

"Who wants pie!?"

.

.

.

While the kids were trapped in a tension filled room with silence as its king, the adults were stuck in a heated discussion. Well, more like shouting contest, but who really keeps track of stuff like that? At the moment, it looked like Dumbledore was enjoying the banter between Severus and James while Molly sat quietly. Petunia had gone home for the night, saying that staying anywhere near Severus for too long would be bad for her health. Lily took a seat next to the plump red head.

"For the last time, I did not kidnap your son you overgrown child!"

"Taking someone off the street is kidnapping!"

"He wouldn't have been on the street if you had paid attention to him Potter!"

"That's it! Die!"

And like a child, James lunged at Severus. The other man countered by kicking the table, which smacked James in the face before falling back into place. James stumbled back and glared. He was about to attack again when Dumbledore held up his hand.

"I think that is enough James. I think it's about time we get down to business. A half hour of yelling, though entertaining, is long enough. Don't you agree ladies?"

"Agreed." They chorused. James huffed before returning to his seat.

"Now, Severus, it has been a while. How is Japan?"

"It's been interesting to be honest. There are so many interesting people there. Minister Yamamoto has been very generous in giving me a position as his assistant." James scoffed and Severus glared. "I was doing quite well until recent events drew my attention here to England."

"I take it this is the first time your charges have made public news?"

"Quite. They try not to make it a habit of being discovered. Most of their shenanigans occur during the school year. They normally take the summer traveling the States or Japan. When word of them getting involved in Britain's Wizarding matters, Yamamoto sent me to make sure they didn't blow anything up…again."

Lily raised an eyebrow at the comment.

"Again? But they're just kids. Surely they can't be that dangerous."

"Yes, but when you give untrained wizards magical swords, they tend to go crazy the first time around."

"Ah yes, something I've been meaning to ask you about." Dumbledore spoke up. Severus inwardly glared. He knew this was bound to come up. Dumbledore might be a light wizard who did things for the greater good, but he was a manipulative bastard who'd do anything for the greater good. That including recruiting other sources of power.

"I can ensure you Professor that those four are very well educated."

"But Severus, surely that cannot be true." Dumbledore said, "The streets are no place for education."

"What makes you they learned on the streets?"

"Well," James began "They've never been to Hogwarts. They obviously have no manners. Or self control. If Harry had been living with us he'd be a lot better off."

A spoon suddenly flew from the kitchen area and whacked James on the head. The adults turned just in time to see Raven sneak back into the kitchen. They heard him chuckle madly while Nicholas made a remark at him.

"Well he sure has your sense of humor." Lily giggled. This caused the others to giggle while James just frowned. "But James does have a point. They don't seem to have gone to any school."

"You try getting four rambunctious kids to go to a boarding school." Severus remarked, "It's not easy. I doubt Hogwarts can teach those four anything."

"And why would you say that?" Molly asked curiously. Though, her focus did waver between the small meeting and the kitchen.

"Well you've seen it for your selves haven't you? They can't perform normal spells. The ones they know now are the only ones they can and will ever know. All that power from the Shikai has to have a draw back."

"That does not mean that can't go without education." Dumbledore insisted. "They are still underage and underage wizards are required to have some form of education."

"And they do. It might not be the best, but home schooling is still learning."

"And exactly who was their teacher?"

Smirking, Severus reached into his rear pocket and pulled out a folded piece of parchment. "My credentials."

Intrigued, the aging wizard reached over and took the parchment. He unfolded it and read over the dark ink. He became aware of Lily and James reading over his shoulders and fought the urge to laugh.

"Severus, you're a Professor?" Lily asked in surprise and pride.

"Official in three countries," the man replied proudly. "England, the States, and Japan. I've taught those kids everything about the Shikai and they are actually registered to have graduated from an Academy in Japan. As you can see, they don't need to go to Hogwarts to learn."

Dumbledore nodded thoughtfully and Severus thought he had the old man.

"I see. But don't you think it would be good for them to be around other kids their age? Or maybe it would be best for the boys to be around their own family."

"You're forgetting that there are four of them," Severus said, reminding them of Autumn. "And how would sending young 'Malfoy' back to his _parents_."

"Well what about my Ron?" Molly asked. "Don't you think I deserve you see my Ron? Y-you can't seriously expect me to just let him walk away doing such dangerous things."

Severus frowned; cursing Molly's protective mothering instincts. He knew she didn't mean to, but did she have to put him through a guilt trip. Especially knowing Red already had a dangerous condition. He saw Lily out of the corner of his eyes and knew she was thinking the same thing.

"And Harry. I think it would be good for him to be at Hogwarts. He could meet so many new people and maybe…well, you know. Get closer to us."

There was a crash from the kitchen and they all heard many voices shouting at once. The adults stared before returning to their meeting.

"You see, they need to be at Hogwarts." James declared. "Otherwise they're just a bunch of wild teenagers."

"Even though I might agree with you on the fact they are wild teenagers, it is not my decision."

"Why is that Severus?" Dumbledore asked patiently.

"I give them quite a lot of freedom. It's a trust I've established and with my students. They do what they want and I get their attention in class."

"Sounds…"

"Risky." James concluded.

"Well, as I've said before, if you want them to go to school, you'll have to ask them. And knowing them, they'll argue with you."

"Well, I'm sure they'll gladly cooperate." The aging professor said, causing delight to the women. Severus sighed, knowing exactly how things were going to turn out.

"Your funeral."


	10. Answers To Every Problem

Sloth: I updated a day early! Sort of! The reason is because I just found out, after looking through my Story stats that Blurring Your Perspective is on **FIVE** communities! I finally fullfilled my dream of getting a story on a cummonity! I just got me all bubbly on the inside. And if it hadn't been for those loyal reviewers, I don't think I would have ever continued with this story. I might have ended up in a pile somewhere in my desktop. To you all, thank you. This has given me more confidence and I will definitely continue with Blurring Your Perspective. On that note, because this story has gotten its 50th, I will be planning a sequel. Although, when it comes out depends on my classes because college essays suck and steal most of my muses.

On that note, to any readers of Memories of a Nobody, a current place holder in reviews, I might be a little snagged on chapters and they may be a little short. Also, I am thinking of restarting my Harry Potter/Narnia fanfiction "Bitter Sweet Rivalry". It originally was my best story...until I started slacking off and it ended up unfinished. If anyone wishes to check it out, please do so and tell me if I should continue or not. Anyways, time to get back on track. I've digressed from the story long enough.

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or Bleach, which this story makes many references and many terms come from.

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**Answers to Every Problem**

"No."

"But it might-"

"No."

"You could-"

"No."

"Harry if you'd just-"

"Ok…no."

The back and forth banter between father and son had been going on long enough and Lily finally stepped in. It was getting past midnight and they had come in to convince the kids to go to Hogwarts around nine. At first, the proposition didn't turn out so well. The former Malfoy had burst into childish fits of laughter that had him falling to the floor. Ronald Weasley, or Red as he kept insisting, started spewing a string of curses that almost gave Molly a heart attack. Granted, it was amazing how strong the plump woman was. They never knew she could hold down a teenage boy and wash his mouth out at the same time. Then the girl, Autumn, started questioning them. For a girl who grew up on the streets, she had some very intelligent things to say. Then there was her little Harry, who flatly had, in a manner that would make Sirius proud,

"No."

"Harry as your father-"

"Nooooo-"

"Ok, that's enough!" Lily barked, shutting off all sound in the room as if she had simply flicked a light switch. She could tell she was not the only one glad to see the nonsense end if Severus' sigh of relief was any indication. "Please, can we just sit and talk like civilized people now?" she begged.

"Only if this woman will get this bloody bar of soap out of my mouth!" Red barked.

"Language!" his mother fumed before continuing the punishment. "I will not have my son using such words."

Before Red could tell her off, Molly used a water charm on his mouth and started washing his mouth again. Ginny, who watched with amusement and embarrassment, took a step back. She did not want to be anywhere near this when things went completely south. Finally, Molly finished with her estranged son, who quickly scooted away from her and stood beside his three companions, wiping his mouth with his sleeve.

"Don't like the taste of soap Red?" Bleach joked.

"Shut up Blondie."

Lily sighed and then noticed the bags under her other son's eyes. Nicholas had never been a night person. It was as if he had been cursed to fall asleep at the stroke of midnight. He was actually straining himself to stay awake at the moment. The concerned mother turned to her husband, who was matching glares with his other son.

"James, could you take Nicholas back to the castle?"

"What? But Lily-"

"James, go now. He's about to pass out."

"M not tired." Nicholas breathed from where he sat. Of course his body almost falling to the floor proved he was. James sighed in defeat and walked over to his son.

"Come on Nick, let's go. You shouldn't even be out of the castle in the first place." With mumbling protest, James walked out of the shop and took his son back to the castle. Raven scoffed.

"He's sixteen years old and still needs Dad to give him a piggy back ride? Pathetic."

"Harry!" Lily gasped. "You shouldn't say things like that."

He sent her a cold glare and Lily was suddenly aware of how different he seemed. He was more active and awake than before. In fact, despite the glare, his eyes seemed to shine brighter. She recalled that Harry had always been active at night, but he was never a morning person. She never realized how different her sons were. Harry had always been shy and reclusive while Nick was friendlier and outgoing. And now as teenagers, while Nick was hot tempered and fast to act, Harry was more of the patient type. The only thing they had in common was the glare, which they got from her.

"Doesn't matter, we're not going to Hogwarts. We're already considered graduates in two countries." He said coldly.

"We know that Harry but-"

"It's Raven." He interrupted. "It's Raven, Red, and Bleach. It's not Harry, Ron, or Malfoy got it?"

"Ok, Raven," the odd name tasted unpleasant in her mouth, "we just want you all somewhere safe."

"You mean somewhere you can monitor us." Autumn butted in. "If we were normal wizards you'd tell us to go to a different school. In times of war, people want the strongest on their side. And after seeing us taking out several Death Eaters, you all want us to join the Order. However, you're unsure of our actual allegiances so you want us at Hogwarts where you can properly mold us. However, the problem in that lies in the fact that we can't actually learn anything but stunners. We gave up the chance to learn Eastern magic the moment we learned Shikai. It will be a waste of time."

"What she said." The boys chorused.

"An interesting matter you bring up young miss," Dumbledore spoke up. He had been patiently waiting, letting others speak. The four were amazed he hadn't fallen asleep on his feet. They had actually forgotten about him because he was so quiet. He stepped forward, almost gliding with authority.

"It's Autumn," she told him. She was already irritated that half the room seemed to ignore her because she was a muggleborn.

"Yes, Autumn. A lovely name I might add. You're quite the intelligent young girl. However, as a law established by the ministry, it is required for all underage wizards to be in school until their seventeenth year. Am I under the impression you are all seventeen."

They frowned knowing that the old coot had got them there. Even if they could claim to be seventeen, there was no way Raven could because of the fact he had a sixteen year old twin.

"Then we'll just head back to the States," Red said calmly. "Maybe Japan even. New York's great around this time and we haven't been in Tokyo in a while."

"No you can't!" Molly shouted, taking a step towards her youngest son. Red took a step back, hand held up. He wasn't going to have his mouth washed again. "Please Ron, you've got to stay. I don't think I can bare it if you felt again."

"The name's Red." The boy barked back. "R-E-D. Not R-O-N. And I'm not staying anywhere near England if it means going to a crummy school with a bunch of snot nose, immature brats."

"Look who's talking," Ginny murmured to herself in the corner.

"I don't care what you call yourself," Molly said, her hand clutching her chest. "You're still my son. Please Ron you've got to give us a second chance. You've no idea what it's been like. I spend every waking moment wishing for you to come home. And now you're here in front of me. Please just stay. I don't even care if you go to Hogwarts or not. Be a bum! I just want my baby."

Tears started swelling in the eyes of the aging mother and Red felt his face burn. However, it was the usual burning sensation that came when he was angry or upset. This time, it was pure embarrassment shading his face. He had no idea what to do or say and turned to his friends for a little help. They didn't even throw him a life preserver. He was stranded in his mother's sea of tears. He took a cautious step towards and attempted to pat her on the back, only to be man handled into a hug.

"I believe it truly would be best if you four came to Hogwarts, if not just for Mrs. Weasley." Dumbledore spoke up, causing glares to burn through him. If looks could kill, Dumbledore would be a pile of ashes.

"Don't try guilt tripping us." Raven growled. "We've grown accustomed to living on our own and not caring for anyone else. We don't need someone telling us to do things they can do themselves," he added, directing the comment to his own mother, who flinched at the piercing green eyes.

"Harry…"

"I think we've had about enough of this." Bleach practically yelled. The blond yawned, stretched his arms over his head and then rolling his neck around a bit. He let his arms drop to the side and then slouched a bit as he addressed the oldest occupant. "Face facts Dumbles, we're not going to a school, we've got a lot of other options, and we can take care of ourselves. You should just stick to using Raven's less intelligent double and leave us alone."

"Ah, I see you've got the same blunt, and straight personality as your mother young Malfoy."

"I'll take that as a compliment." Bleach said, narrowing his eyes at being called Malfoy. In his head, his "Must-Not-Kill-Old-Man" mantra repeated in a loop.

"Then may I able to convince you four at a proposal?"

"What kind of proposal?" Autumn asked suspiciously. The twinkle in the old man's eyes just increased their cautiousness.

.

.

.

Elsewhere, something was brewing. A loud crack shattered the silence that hovered over the graveyard. The air smelled of ash and burnt wood. The wind moaned like a sick animal as the air was suddenly filled with a sense of dread. The aged tombstones scattered across the dead grass seemed to erode from the sheer presence of the lone man who stood proudly over the dead. His bleached hair caught the light of the waning moon and obtained a silvery glow. His black robes faded in and out against the darkness of the evening, making it seem as if he were just a spirit, lingering between the realm of the dead and the living. And then several more cracks disturbed the silence.

A loud, hysteric cackling pierced the silence, sending waves of distain and fear through the air. Even the trees seemed to take a weary step back from this obviously insane woman. Her dark hair was like spider webs in the wind and her vulpine figurine was shown through her dark, shredded dress. Her pale skin was illuminated in the moon light and she appeared to be twirling a long, bony wand in her fingers.

"Will you shut up Bellatrix?" a deep, animalistic voice barked. Bellatrix Lestrange turned on her heel to glare at the bare-chested man who towered over her. His elongated canines were stained yellow and glowed in the moon light. The psychotic witch stalked over to the muscular werewolf and prodded him with her index finger, her sharp nail japing him viciously.

"Don't be a bloody git Greyback. If I'm going to be in a graveyard, I'm going to enjoy myself."

"Come now Bella," Lucius Malfoy calmly interjected, "our dear friend is only slipping into his routine. The full moon is just around the corner."

"Hmph. And you say women are bad," the witch mused before skipping away like a child. Fenrir growled, but backed off when he felt the sharp end of Malfoy's cane against his bare chest.

"Heel boy. We all came here to have a civilized conversation did we not?"

"That's easy for you to say! You weren't punished for losing that useless wand maker. I swear when I get my crawls on those rats-"

"And you will my dear friend," Malfoy said coolly, "after all that is why we are here is it not? Pests need to exterminated am I right?"

"Are you talking about Dragon and his wittle friends?" Bella spoke up from her seat on a tomb, "or that useless Rookwood?"

"Now Bella, Augustus has proven himself worthy to be a part of the inner circle just as much as we have."

"Then why isn't he here too?" Greyback shot back.

"Because he annoys the hell out of me," the aristocrat replied honestly. "Now enough of that. Shall we get back to the real reason why we've come? Obviously my _son_ has found some…interesting friends."

"A half-blood, a muggleborn, and a werewolf. Such great company your brat is keeping," Greyback comment.

"Werewolf? Muggleborn? How can you tell?" Bellatrix asked. Greyback glared at her.

"I'm a werewolf you daft woman. I can smell it in their blood. That Weasley boy is just another pup and that girl is a muggleborn tramp."

A cane came up and poked the werewolf. "You didn't by chance recognize the smell of her blood did you?"

"Actually, I did. Why?"

A sly smile formed on the aristocrat's face. He stepped away and walked over to one of the tombstones. This one was unlike the others. The stone was clean cut, made of lustrous marble and had a golden plaque embedded on the front. The upturned soil was also fresh and smelled of roses rather than ash or rotten flesh. Malfoy stood before the tombstone and picked up a fallen twig from the dead oak looming over it. With a tap of his wand, he transfigured the twig into a single white rose, which he placed on the soil.

"Don't insult her like that Malfoy and get to the point." Bellatrix snapped at him, frowning at his seemingly harmless gesture.

"Just being courteous of the dead my dear Bella. Now, I believe I know the key to defeating these four. They might have powerful magic, but they lack the experience and the strategic mind to wield them. They might be more powerful, but they are nothing but mere children and a few strategic ploys can trump them. Now, the muggleborn and Weasley will be easy to take out. We'll first attack the boy's family and then use this," he pulled out a vial from his robe. Greyback glared at the other general, the smell of the potion setting fire to his sinuses.

"You weren't planning on using that against me were you?"

"Good heavens, why would I do that? Just send Augustus. I'm sure he won't be able to fumble this job up." He said, tossing the vial to the werewolf. He caught it, but hisses as the concoction seemed to have an ill effect on him through the vial. However, a coy smile appeared on his feral face.

"Hmm, I might be able to use some of the leftovers to get rid of the mutt, Lupin."

"Whatever you wish. Now Bella, do tell me, do you remember that attack in muggle London?"

"You mean the one I was imprisoned for? Of course I do. Wait, you're not suggesting…"

"Yes I am. You're going have to clean up the mess aren't you?"

Bellatrix's laughter echoed through the air, splitting the men's eardrums as well.

"This is perfect! That mugglewhore is going to regret playing with Bellatrix Lestrange. Eya ha ha ha!"

"What about you and me?" Greyback asked. He didn't want to just me a delivery boy. He wanted as much action as a second rate Death Eater as Augustus Rookwood.

"Oh don't worry. You'll take care of the extra Potter. Go after his mother. Not only will he come to her rescue a second time, but so will the reckless Boy-Who-Lived. Kill one and take the other to the Dark Lord. As for myself, I'll take care of my own. If he refuses, then he'll just have to join his friends won't he?"

"What would Narcissa say if she heard you say that?" Bellatrix asked with a sneer on her face. Though he hated the fact that her oldest nephew was a street rat, he still adored him. He was a lot more like her sister than the other child Narcissa had. Lucius just shrugged his shoulders at the witch's question.

"I'm sure she won't mind."

"There's still one thing that's bothering me," Greyback started, "How exactly do we fight pups with magical swords?"

"Ah, that's simple. You see, I have a colleague who, after hearing about our little problem, has decided to lend me one of his experiments. A monster created by merging a wizard's ghost with a dementor. It's quiet fascinating. We'll even use it to attack Hogwarts once those four are out of the way."

Bellatrix jumped up and down like an insane child on caffeine.

"This is going to be so much fun! Eya ha ha ha!"

"Indeed. We strike Hogsmeade tomorrow evening."

With another wailing cackle, Bellatrix disapparated. Greyback followed soon after and Malfoy stood, a sly smile on his face. He stared at the grave one last time before leaving Narcissa Malfoy alone once more.

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Sloth: Oh, before I leave, I got a review telling me I should fix the hero because they were acting like four year olds....I didn't know who they were talking about. If it was refering to Harry and friends, I did that on purpose to show how really childish they can be in contrast to how seriously they will get. If it was Nicholas and his friends...yeah well they don't matter to the story right now. But thank you review for that anyways, it was helpful for me to watch my characters a little bit.

Until next time :)


	11. Don't You Love Sundays?

Sloth: Did I ever tell you guys I love you and I know you won't hate me for forgetting to update? No? Well I do....Ok. Lame. Well not much to tell. Sorry guys for such a long wait. I've been real busy with so many prioridies like school and real life. I hadn't had the time to update. And I didn't like this chapter because, well it's another set up. No action. Although I did bring in another character into the mix. Oh, and before I go any further, I would like to make some things known:

1: Harry is NOT the Boy-Who-Lived. I thought about writing a wrong-boy-who-lived story, but I thought there were too many of those and not enough, Harry has a different and or better destiny. Which he will. He will have a different destiny. That or I'll just twist the prohecy around. -insert evil laugh here-

2: I know Harry Potter takes place in 1990s, but I thought about moving the time up. It makes cultural references more funny and make sense. But since most wizards are still stuck in a 1980s time frame, most wizards won't get them. Unless their parents study muggle things and/or they work with muggles. Or went to muggle London on a whim.

3: Hedwig is a very special owl with the power of internation flight because this is AU and it will be explained later on. :)

Enjoy the newest chapter and here's hoping another update comes up soon.

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**Don't You Love Sundays?**

"Someone please kill me."

"You don't look that bad Red," Autumn commented as she tried not to laugh.

"I look ridiculous. Why the bloody hell would you agree to this?"

"Because it makes us look sophisticated."

"Autumn, we steal for a living. Since when do we need to look sophisticated?"

"Since four eyes over here decided take Dumbledore's offer."

Raven's eyebrow twitched at the accusation.

"I did no such thing. I just said we might look into it."

"And to a wizard who looks ready to croak," Bleach started, "that means 'sure, we'll stay a week at Hogwarts'."

Yes, the offer was quite simple. In exchange for allowing the four to stay as viable adults, Dumbledore wanted them to go to Hogwarts for just one week. They didn't have to take any classes, just observe if need be. They did have to interact with students though, which meant they would be divided into the houses. At first, the right thing to say would be no. However, the four recalled the reason they were even at the damn restaurant in the first place. It was so they could join in the war so they could reclaim their territory over Diagon Alley. It was the only place they felt remotely at home and if they left without reclaiming it, well, they just didn't do things like that.

"Look, I'm just looking at the bigger picture," Raven yawned as he slumped in his bed. It was still an hour before noon and no matter how much prodding or pushing, he was not getting up. Over the years, he had gotten used to the fact that he would be out cold at 6 in the morning. However, even the dead couldn't remain asleep with the ruckus Bleach and Red always made in the morning. The only thing he was thankful for was his unique ability to instantly fall asleep before noon.

Of course as he was drifting off, Bleach had to kick him off his futon.

"Damn you, you blond haired git."Raven muttered as he finally stirred awake and fumbled around for his glasses. "Can't I sleep at least till noon?" he asked with annoyance. Bleach smirked at him.

"Nope. You got us in this mess, so you don't get any privileges." He replied in a smug, know it all way. Raven glared daggers before sluggishly standing up and making his way to the bathroom. He closed the door behind him and just stared at his reflection for the longest time.

It had actually been a while since he had actually taken the time to examine himself carefully. His piercing green eyes stared back through wire-framed glasses, a small crack coming down from the top of the right lens. His signature black hair was poking in random directions, like a crow had decided to set up a nest in it while he slept. He realized that, besides the baby fat that unfortunately remained, he looked a lot like Nicholas. Well, Nick's hair was actually tamable and he hadn't been wearing glasses when Raven saw him. And Nicholas looked a lot more mature, with a square jaw and haunting green eyes. Maybe seeing his brother yesterday caused something in him to make him examine himself. He had heard and read about all of Nicholas' achievements over the years. From the Sorcerer's Stone to the Battle of the Ministry, Raven had read them all in the Daily Prophet. He just couldn't imagine some who looked like him, a passive aggressive fellow with an effigy for stealing, could do such stupid, reckless, and – dare he say it – heroic things.

The thought actually made him want to barf. It was bad enough the guy was an attention seeker when they growing up, but now? Although, for some reason or another Raven couldn't help himself from frowning at some of the slanderous things Rita _Skeeter _wrote about his brother last year. No one called Nicholas an attention seeker plotter but him. Although he did get a good laugh when he read about Nicholas and his friends helping in the sacking of One-Term-Headmistress-Umbridge. Now that was funny.

"Oi, Raven you fall into the toilet?" Red's voice questioned from behind the wooden door. Raven rolled his eyes.

"No you impatient bastard."

"Well then hurry up. Other people need to use the bathroom too."

Rolling his eyes at his friend's childish behavior, Raven turned on the sink and splashed himself with the cool water. One would wonder how a bunch of teenagers could afford a small apartment with running water and such by themselves. Well, Raven did have his methods.

He exited the bathroom and ignored Red's quick move to enter. He didn't blame the boy for being all antsy today. After all, tonight was a full moon and it was mood-swing-mayhem for the red head.

"Did he remember to take his potion?" he asked Autumn as she put away her clothes for the week-long visit to Hogwarts.

"Forced it down myself." She said calmly. Raven stared at her for a minute, arms crossing over his chest.

"Hey Autumn, can ask you something."

"Shoot."

"How come you're taking this Hogwarts thing so smoothly?" The instant he saw how her body froze up, though brief, Raven knew he had her. The night before, Autumn had been raging about the prospect of being forced to go to school, but now, she was calm and almost…excited to be spending just a week there.

"I don't know what you're talking about Raven."

"Really?"

"Yes, really. Now get dressed Raven, we're heading back to the joke shop today." She reminded him casually, as if his previous comment had no affect on her what so ever. Raven examined the girl for a moment before grabbing a pair of clean clothes and going to change in the one bedroom.

Autumn kept her smile until he left the room and returned to her packing. She might not have liked the idea at first, but this could be her chance to find answers.

.

.

.

"What happened to you two?" Red asked when he was the matching black eyes his estranged brothers had.

"We ran into each other." They chorused robotically, as if they had been programmed to say those words. A knowing smile formed on the younger redhead.

"You two deserved it I bet."

"Well if you lot had kept a low profile we might have been able to keep our gorgeous looks," Fred proclaimed.

"Your fault for getting caught."

"Your fault for blowing your top."

Fred and Red continued on pinning the blame on the other while George rolled his eyes in both amusement and annoyance. At least Ron was slowly, very slowly, integrating back into the Weasley family. He had to admit, their plan of having Red get use to being with his brothers and then reuniting him with the family went down the drain faster than you could say Quidditch, this was better. After their mom and Ginny got home, a family meeting had been called. They, minus Percy, had all discussed what they were going to do with the situation. Percy had been exempted due to his…situation and they all agreed they would keep him out of it for now. It had been agreed last night that they would let Ron, or Red, take his time and that no one would rush him. And coming from a family big enough to run Hogwarts, that was going to take a lot of self control on their part.

"Now, about why you're here," George said, interrupting the blame game between Red and Fred, "as of now, almost everyone knows about you lot."

"And how did that happen?" Raven asked suspiciously.

"Well, Ron-"

"Red!" the teen corrected.

"Ron's appearance didn't go unnoticed. Especially when he took off Raven's hat and everyone saw a nerd version of Nicholas Potter." George grinned at the twice in Raven's brow. "And your cousin Dudley has a very big mouth."

"So does this mean we're fired?" Bleach asked, his voice sounding very close to hopeful.

"You wish. This just means you'll be getting extra shifts." The twins replied, dashing all the boys' hopes.

"And since you'll be visiting Hogwarts this week," Fred pulled out a large wooden crate from behind the counter. It was a simple box, approximately one foot long and high. On the front the words CAUTION: OPEN WITH CARE were stamped in bright red.

"You'll be selling these at Hogwarts."

The twins were met with blank stares.

"You can't be serious," Autumn started, "we're only going to be there a week. How on earth would anyone be able to sell a box of trinkets in a week?"

"You'd be surprised by what people will by. Especially students trying to get out of class."

Red got a big grin on his face and he slowly reached for the box when no one was looking.

"Don't even think about it" came a chorus a voices, crushing the boy's hopes of getting out of the damned deal he was forced into.

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.

.

Lily stared at the restaurant door for the longest time. She was hoping, praying, that four young teens would walk through it. She didn't get a chance to talk to her estranged son much the night before. As soon they accepted Dumbledore's proposal, they left without a word. Even Severus seemed to just disappear on the spot. She wondered if she was that bad of a mother that her son didn't even want to speak to her. She remembered the cold emerald eyes just staring coldly into her. They were filled with so much hate, betrayal, and…calculation. She wondered why.

"You're not a horrible mother."

"Excuse me?"

"I said you're not a horrible mother," Petunia repeated as she placed a tray next to Lily. Petunia had a strange six sense that allowed her to figure out when her sister was upset. And at the moment, the senses were practically off the walls. It was like a siren was going off in the restaurant and only she could hear it. "You're still thinking about that boy of yours aren't you?"

"Just a little."

"Lily, you can't beat yourself up for something that happened well over ten years ago." Petunia chided, tossing a rag over her shoulder as she rounded the counter and started putting away the dirty dishes and replacing them with food. "It's not healthy."

"But you weren't there Tuny. You didn't see how he looked at me. It was the same look I get from Nick when he's mad, but only worse." Lily explained as she checked the cash register.

"And you think just because of that you're a terrible mother?"

"Well…maybe."

"Honestly, sometimes you're just plain daft woman."

"What is that suppose to mean?" Lily asked as she followed Petunia, who was distributing orders among the patrons of the restaurant. Fortunately they didn't get crowded on Sundays, giving Lily and Petunia, and occasionally Ginny, time to talk and relax a bit.

"Don't take this the wrong way Lily but just because one child hates you doesn't mean it's the end of the world. You're bound to be hated." Petunia said before placing a meal down. "Here you go sir."

"I don't think I understand where you're going with this."

"It's like this Lily. When a child gets a certain age then tend to despise their parents for mediocre things like not letting them listen to certain music, not letting them play with certain kids, not getting them something trivial like a W-Box. And it gets worse when there's more than one. I remember hating mother because you got to have magic and I didn't."

"You hated mum?"

"Only through my teens. I eventually got over it. Now Harry's a special case. From what you told me, that _Severus_ helped raised him and his friends."

Lily gave her sister a look. "Are you saying I should blame Severus for Harry disliking me?" she asked, her voice reaching a stern, disbelieving tone.

"I never said that. I'm saying Harry wasn't raised by you and therefore he never got to know the mother we all know you are. Just because you focused on Nicholas does mean you love Harry less. He's just being a teenager."

Lily stared at her sister, eyebrow raised in confusion. When had Petunia become so wise on teenagers?

"I've been taking a child psychology class in London during my free time," the older Evans added, answered the silent question. "It's quite fascinating actually. Now, I'm not saying that it's Harry's or your fault. I'm just saying that it's a personal issue that you both have to figure out. Give him time to sort the feelings he never go to do and he'll turn around. And if he doesn't, well then that's his loss isn't it?"

Petunia pulled Lily into a comforting hug, patting her sister on the back gently. "You're a good mother. And don't you forget it."

Without another word, Petunia returned to serving costumers, leaving Lily to think about what she was told. Lily hoped that her sister was right. She really did.

.

.

.

Today was Ginny's day off. Well, it was more like a "You've had a long day so why don't you just rest tomorrow?" kind of day. Honestly, Ginny preferred to just work. It helped her keep her mind off of things. After all, idle hands are the dementor's playground. Which would possibly why she was cleaning the entire Burrow. It was a lot calmer than beating up Fred and George. And a little relaxing Muggle music did lighten the mood. And that was how Molly found Ginny when she finally came downstairs from her restless sleep. She smiled as she watched Ginny clean and tidy furniture, humming to the tunes of Michael Branch.

"I never knew tree nymphs could sing so well," Molly joked. Ginny giggled.

"She's not a tree nymph mum. She's a muggle. I found it when I was helping Ms. Evans in London last week. She's from the States actually. She's quite popular actually."

Molly nodded before walking over to readjust the coffee table arrangements.

"Ginny dear, would you like to talk?"

"About what?" she asked her mother suspiciously. She had kind of an idea where her mother might be going with this. After the fiasco yesterday, it was to be expected.

"Just some little things dear. How's your day? Do you like working for Lily? Would you like to come with me for some tea?"

"Are you sure you don't want to ask about _Red_?" Ginny questioned, her voice dripping with disgust as she said the name. No, it was not that she hated Ron. She just hated what he'd become: a self-centered, heartless bigot. "And yes I would." She added as an after thought.

"I figured we've already had a long day. We could use a day without worrying about him," Molly said as she stared at the family clock. It was a magical clock whose hands, instead of telling time, told the situation of the Weasley family. Things like "At Home" or "At Work". Sometimes it said if they were in "Moral Peril or "Lost". It was the only thing that kept Molly's hopes up, even if it still said that Ron was "Lost". There were some close calls where it would point to "Moral Peril", but it would just go back to "Lost" soon after. Ginny followed her mother's gaze and rolled her eyes.

"We really need to change that clock. Put some that say "Found" or "Is an idiot"."

"Ginny…" Molly warned. She figured her daughter might still be upset, especially after continuously attack Fred and George after the entire family discovered the secret they kept. Not that anyone tried to stop her of course.

"I'm only telling the truth. He's an idiot. He had us all worried for ten years and even after you asked for him to come back, he'd say he'd rather go to Japan or the States. Who does he think he is? And what kind of name is Red? What's wrong with Ron?"

"Weren't you always making fun of him for being named Ron?" Molly laughed half-heartedly. Ginny blushed and returned to moving pictures around the room.

"Not the point. I just don't understand him Mum. We're not bad people? Why does he want to hurt us?"

Molly smiled sadly before walking over to her youngest, pulling her into a tight embrace.

"I don't think he means to hurt us. I just think he doesn't want to give up what he's grown accustomed too. I believe he'll turn around. He's a Weasley remember? We all eventually calm down. It'll blow over".

"I hope so Mum." Ginny said sadly. The sound of shuffling feet drew the attention of both Weasley women and they turned to see a tall, skinny red head shuffle down the steps. Unlike the other Weasleys, whose hair were normally well kept and flat, this man had wild and shaggy hair. They ran in every direction, disobeying the laws of physics. His skin was pale and eyes half shut. There were dark circles under them as they scanned the unusually clean house. Pale fingers played with the pajama pants and shirt he wore.

"Morning," he mumbled as he shuffled towards the kitchen. Molly sighed, having gone through this routine many times.

"Percy, it's the middle of the afternoon."

"Oh…ok." He blinked before shuffling over to a pantry. This had become a routine with Percy. Percy had really taken it badly when he lost Ron. He had become depressed, always blaming himself. And then came the incident. Percy had locked himself in the bathroom one summer. They hadn't thought much about it until it just seemed like he was in there too long. And then Charlie forced the door open, only to find Percy lying in a pool of his own blood. No one liked to talk about it. No one liked to think about it. It was just another bad thing that seemed to happen to them.

After the incident Percy spent a lot of time with Healers and therapists. He never did his school work, almost dropped out twice, and pretty much stayed at home. To any other family this might seem like a routine that was getting old, but the Weasleys were different. They dealt with both the good and the bad and attempted to help each other. And they did. Bill often got Percy out of the house and sometimes managed to get a Percy that smiled. And Molly and Percy often had philosophical discussions when they were home alone.

"Percy, would you like to come with me and Ginny to Hogsmeade? We're going to have some tea with Lily Potter and her sister."

There was a moment of silence.

"I'm good. I'll think I'll just stay up in my room." He replied before stuffing a biscuit in his mouth. Ginny frowned.

"Come on Percy. You can't just stay in your room. When was the last time you went out?"

Percy took a moment, staring up at the ceiling through tired eyes. "When was the last time Bill was here for a visit?"

"Um, a year ago with Fleur." She replied, making sure not to include the urgent meeting last night.

"Then a year before that."

Ginny rolled her eyes before looking at her mom for approval. Molly sighed and nodded her head. It couldn't hurt to force Percy to do something. Besides, it wasn't like Ron was going to be there. From what they saw last night, the lost Weasley looked as red as his hair. Ginny ran over to Percy and pulled him with her.

"Ginny. Come on I just want to sit and read some comics."

"Aren't you old for stuff like that?"

.

.

.

"No," Red told Fred from where he sat reading a graphic novel. He had pulled it out from an inner pocket in his jacket after they had gathered all the boxes and restocked the shelves. Autumn had gone off to get them some food and he decided to finish reading the latest volume of Death Note that Hedwig delivered them this morning.

"I think I've seen Percy reading something like that. Only it had a blond kid with whiskers instead of…what is that?" George asked, pointing to the strange creature on the cover of Red's graphic novel.

"It's a death god. Strangely enough, they don't look anything like this," Red replied without even looking from the page.

"You've met death gods before?" Fred asked, his voice wavering a little and his brows raised. Raven chuckled, a smile coming up.

"You could say that." He said ominously with a semi-evil chuckle. The twins felt slightly awkward next to the dark haired boy. When their brother chuckled too, they took a step back.

The door opened and Bleach and Autumn entered. Autumn had managed to get the blond wizard to carry the food again. Bleach placed the carry-out onto the table and then pulled out one and threw it at Red, who got it without even looking. And the boy got up from his chair and headed for the door, eyes still focused on the manga.

"Where are you going?" Fred asked curiously. He thought the four of them were going to stay until closing to help.

"Out. I've some prior engagements to get to," the younger boy replied before he left. The twins turned to the other three teens. They just shrugged.

"It's his time of month," Bleach joked. Of course this just earned him two smacks to the back of his head.

Meanwhile, Red, hidden with his disguise cap and focused on Death Note, was making his way to the Shrieking Shack. Yes, it was unfortunately that time. Tonight there was going to be a full moon and he was going to go through his _enjoyable_ transformation. Normally, on the day a wizard would change, they would be cranky, forceful, and noticed a lot of things around them. For Ron though, because of his unique magical core, he would be calm, emotional, moody, and extremely focused. It was why he read manga and comics. It kept his focus on something enjoyable rather than something weird like a butterfly. That day ended up bad.

However, one bad thing about his extremely focused mind mixed with his natural awareness was that sometimes he just didn't see when someone was walking in front of him. This was why he found himself on the ground, his head bounding from the collision.

"Ow…watch where you're going," he growled.

"Sorry," a man voice apologized passively. Red's eyebrow rose and he looked up, staring at the disheveled head of hair and pale face. He was thanking whatever deity was out there that he was wearing his disguise cap and the illusion kept the male from staring. "Hey, Death Note. I thought I was the only wizard who read it."

"Uh…yeah…"

"Percy, what are you…" Ginny paused, recognizing Red's cap and the disguise from yesterday. Her estranged brother gave her a glare, silently telling her not to say a word. "C-come on Percy."

"Yeah. Uh, here's your manga back."

"Thanks," Red said, taking the novel back with a little more force than needed. Percy stared at Red for a minute and the boy's hand slowly reached into his pocket. Ginny's eyes widened as she saw this action, the memory of what Red did to those Hellhounds yesterday still fresh in her mind.

"Do I know you from somewhere?" Percy asked.

"Doubt it." Red pulled out a flask from his pocket and drank its content. Ginny sighed in relief. Without another word, Red marched away from his siblings, his focus on something else. He heard Ginny telling Percy to hurry on and Red just marched to the shack faster.

That night, the shack with filled with the sound of breaking object, splintering wood, and growls of rage and sorrow. Red hadn't even transformed yet.


	12. First Day of School

Sloth: I'm alive! I apologize for the long wait guys. I had a lot of issues to work about, plus a major writer's block. Well, not really major. I just didn't know what to write for the next three chapters. I do have the big climax planned out and I was catching up with chapters, writing them ahead. So in other words, weekly updates will continue. All new chapters are waiting to be posted each week. I won't tell you how many chapters are left, but I can tell you we're near the halfway point, so don't expect an ending any time soon. You can expect some great action scenes soon.

I want to thank every who is still reading this and apologize for the wait. I'm truly sorry.

And added note, more secrets are revealed this chapter! While new ones are formed. In addition, a cameo from a Bleach character. a cookie to whoever can guess who he is. His identity, for those who don't know who he is, will be revealed later down in the road. This is just a reminder that this is a slight crossover with Bleach, using references and plot ideas from the anime series, but none of the charaters (minus obvious cameoes).

Lastly, I know not everyone likes the idea of the Blurs staying in Hogwarts, but trust me, the reasons for it will be revealed. In addtion, I don't own Harry Potter or any anime references.

Enjoy the first of many new chapters.

* * *

**First Day of School**

"Rough night?"

"Shut up." Red snapped at his blond friend. Rough wouldn't exactly be the word Red would have used to describe the night he had. It was filled with nothing but violent thrashing, broken furniture, and some a missing stair case. Yes, Red would definitely have trouble getting into the shack next time. He was just lucky he didn't use Cerberus. A flaming shack in the middle of the night would be hard to explain. Then again, he could always blame it on Death Eaters.

"When exactly are we due for hell?" the boy asked as he rubbed his tired eyes.

"In an hour," Autumn replied as she slid a plate of peanut butter and jelly sandwich over to him. "Eat up, Severus will be picking us up in an hour."

Red grinned at the sight of food and started digging in. As he stuffed half of it into his gullet, he noticed that someone was missing.

"Where's Raven? Still sleeping?"

"Actually, he was up before me," Autumn said thoughtful. Red almost choked on his sandwich and Bleach had to whack him on the back to dislodge it.

"He was up? Before noon? Without any of us to get him up?"

Autumn nodded, looking out the window thoughtfully. She was concerned about Raven. She wasn't sure if the others had noticed it, but Raven had been acting different. It was subtle things really. He'd wake up earlier, stay up later, and be quieter. Perhaps it might have been the encounter with Lily or Nicholas that got a reaction from him. Or maybe Raven was begrudging with the fact that he'd have to spend a week with his brother and father. Or maybe it was just something else. It made no sense and when things made no sense, Autumn grew concerned.

She had always based things on logic. Growing up, she was a fragile girl with a lot of intelligence. If things weren't logical, they weren't real. And it was weirder when she learned about and produced magic. Still, her mind managed to find some logic behind the world of the supernatural. She was just too scientific for her own good.

"Oi. Autumn. Oi!"

"Uh? Oh, you say something Red?"

Red shook his head.

"Never mind. I'm too tired to figure out what's going on in that brain of yours. Come on Bleach, let's go through Diagon Alley one more time before we leave."

"Sounds fun."

The two boys ran out the door, leaving Autumn behind in their dust. The girl sighed and shook her head. Maybe she was getting too old, but raiding Diagon Alley just didn't seem fun anymore.

….

"Oh my lord. I can't believe I just thought that."

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.

.

The fresh air was always a welcomed change to his usually hectic and immature life. The cool breeze brushed through his hair, taming what he couldn't. Emerald green orbs stared out at the light blue sky. Puffs of white drifted lazily across the endless blue above. The smell of fresh cut grass filled his nostrils as he took a deep, calming breath of air. It was very rare for Raven to wake up before the sun rise, especially since he would never sleep until three in the morning. However, on those rare times that he did manage to wake up early, he always did enjoy the smell of the morning.

He was never sure why the sun rise made him feel so calm on the inside. It was only a distant memory really. Possibly, somewhere in the recesses of his mind. He closed his eyes, letting the light of the morning warm his body. Meditation was something he had learned from his teacher. Severus had taught him to meditate to bring down his stress levels. It was only because of his constant meditation that Raven was the cool, calm teenager that he was. Without it he'd…well, he'd probably be as temperamental and edgy as Red.

He chuckled at the thought of Red. He sure had a problem with keeping his temper in check.

Sudden shouting disturbed his meditation and Raven moved his elbow from his eyes to see the cause. Two boys were running ahead of their parents. They looked to be about five or possible six years old. The taller of the two, possibly the older brother, was dragging his younger.

"Come on. Let's play."

"But we can get hurt."

"No we won't."

The older coaxed the younger towards the swings. Raven felt a slight twitch in his eyebrow. Something about that scene seemed to irritate his mind. He ignored it and covered his eyes with his arm again. He attempted to drift back to sleep when he felt a familiar, yet disturbing aura around him. It was a strong, yet well contained. Raven cautiously pulled his arm away. He had only been around this presence when he was in Japan with Severus. He frowned at the sight of the green clad man, a paper fan hiding his mischievous smirk.

"Well, if it isn't my favorite student," came the enthusiastic voice of the man. His voice suddenly dropped to a low, ominous tone, "How've you been Potter-kun?"

At this point, there was only one word that went through Raven's mind.

"Shit."

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Lily Potter sighed as she washed the dishes. She had been hoping that Harry would have come to the restaurant today. She had wished so badly to see him again. Especially today. She knew today was the day that he and his friends would be going to Hogwarts. For one whole week they would be at the school, interacting with other students. Her son, the son she had let slip through her hands because she had been so neglectful of him. And now he would be so close, yet still out of her reach. It just seemed to be unfair.

Some part of her told her she deserved this. That no caring mother would have let her child run away like that. No loving mother would have given up on her child no matter how long it had been since he was gone. If any mother deserved her child again it was Molly. Molly who had done everything in her power to look for her son, even when others had given up, until she was nothing more but a secluded shell of her former self. Lily hadn't done anything to look for Harry and now she would never get the chance to have him in her arms ever again. She sighed, finishing the dishes.

"Lily," Petunia's voice called from the doorway of the kitchen. Lily turned to her sister, seeing an annoyed look on her face.

"Yes Tuny?"

"You've got a _visitor_," Petunia said. The way she had said visitor made it seem like it was someone Petunia didn't like. Lily could only guess who it was as she walked towards the door. Walking out, she saw the last person she expected to see.

"Severus."

"Lily," Severus greeted with a smile. Petunia made a 'harrumph' sound as she walked away, giving the two some sort of privacy. Petunia and Severus glared at each other briefly as the woman walked by the wizard. Severus then returned to friendly mood and he looked at Lily.

"How are you?" he asked.

"I-I'm fine. Don't take this the wrong way Severus, but what are you doing here?"

Severus smiled.

"A friend can't stop by and have a conversation?"

Lily narrowed her eyes at the man.

"Well, if you had stopped by years ago maybe, but now? I'm not sure if you're just here for a polite conversation or if you've got a hidden agenda. After all, you did raise Harry for the past six years." She bit her lip as the memory of the conversation they had had last weekend returned to her. Who would have known that Severus Snape, one of the lone snakes of Hogwarts, would raise and care for four…street orphans. It just showed how much he's changed.

"Thank you."

"I beg your pardon," Severus inquired.

"For taking care of Harry when I failed to do so. And the other kids as well. Ronald, Draco, and that girl. They had no one and you took them in. I know Harry will never look at me and James as his parents, but I don't blame you for that. You did what we should have."

"Lily, don't blame yourself."

"Why shouldn't I?" she asked. "Harry ran away because we never loved him. He stayed with you because you did."

Severus sighed. He hadn't come to make his childhood friend feel like this. This was the last thing he had ever wanted to do. He sighed before placing a gentle hand on her shoulder.

"Lily, I didn't come here to gloat or make you feel bad. I just came to talk."

"Just talk?"

"Yes. I thought, while those four rambunctious hooligans are in Hogwarts for the week, you might want to know what they've been up ever since I found them. I know you wish you had taken care of Harry, but I think this might be the next best thing right? I've already asked Molly if she wanted to talk about Ron," he said, gesturing to a table where Ginny and Molly were sitting. Lily was surprised to see the older woman. "So how about it?"

There was a long pause as Lily thought about the offer.

"Ok."

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.

The day had seemed to past by so quickly. It was like time had sped up and before they knew it, Raven and his little gang of misfits was standing in front of the gates of Hogwarts. The castle stood tall, its marble bricks shimmering blue in the night. It would be about dinner time, which was the agreed time that Raven had negotiated with the headmaster. Both Bleach and Red were looking for their teacher. Severus had said he would be meeting them tonight, but so far there was no sign the man. Autumn stood patiently next to Raven, taking in the beautiful architecture of the castle. She took a moment to take her eyes off the structure to catch a glimpse of Raven. The dark haired boy looked more stoic than usual.

"Raven?"

"Hm?"

"Are you ok? You seem more quite than usual."

The boy said nothing at first, his green eyes focusing only on the building.

"I got a visitor today."

This caught the attention of the other two members of their group. Bleach leaned in, draping his arm over Raven's shoulder.

"Anyone we happen to know?" he asked curiously.

There was a pregnant pause as Raven took his eyes off the castle and focused them on the sky above them.

"Yeah. A little candy shop owner from Japan."

Red frowned.

"That overly perky guy? What would he want with us? The last time we were with him he almost got us killed."

"If I remember correctly Red, we agreed to the extra training," Autumn informed him. "Severus even told us of the dangers beforehand. And if it wasn't for Harry's sensei and his friends we wouldn't be where we are today. We would've just been a bunch of wizards with magic swords-"

"Instead of wizards with killer magical transforming swords!" Bleach finished cheerfully. The blond turned back to Raven, turning serious. "So what did he want?"

"He needed us collect some items for him."

"We're listening."

Without taking his eyes off the moon, Raven reached into the pocket of his leather jacket and fished out a sheet of paper. On it were what appeared to be chicken scratches. However, after a few years in Japan, it was easy to tell that the list was written in kanji, despite the horrible hand writing.

"Apparently our friends in Japan are having some trouble with some of their detection equipment. It started almost 60 years ago," Raven explained. "It was weak at first, but over time the disturbances started to get stronger. That is until four years ago. One of their spies reported a decrease in the disturbances. I'll give you three guesses on who did it."

"Potter."

Raven nodded.

"Remember when we read about the Chamber of Secrets in the Prophet? Well our inside man reported to Boss, who told Sensei, what Nicholas did to decrease the dark disturbances. Apparently he stabbed a cursed diary."

Bleach snorted.

"You're telling us a girl's diary created a powerful enough disturbance to mess with the tech all the way in Japan's magical community? Must be some heck of a book."

"Could be a Death Note," Red snorted.

"It wasn't a girl's diary. It belonged to Tom Riddle."

Silence. Gears began to turn in their heads, each individual drawing their own conclusion. The list in Raven's hand was starting to make sense.

"So our little escapade is now a seek and destroy mission?" Autumn asked, rubbing her chin thoughtfully. "I would love to know more on those items though."

"From what Boss and Sensei have gathered on their own and from our inside man, only two of the items on here are in Hogwarts. One of them none of them know the location to. There is a theory that one of them is in Gringotts while the last one is most likely with Moldy-Wart himself."

"And Potter already took care of the diary," Bleach mused. "So, we're here for a week to steal and gather information on Hogwarts as well as to go treasure hunting for an overly enthusiastic candy seller. Should I be enjoying the idea this much?"

"Well it's not just that," Raven began. "There's kind of another reason why I agreed to come here. And it's not just to steal any old item."

Three pairs of eyes stared at him.

"Go on," Autumn urged.

Raven opened his mouth to speak, but was interrupted by the loud, thundering sound of the front gates opening. Light flood the courtyard and basked the four within it. Standing before them was a tall, well dressed witch. She was fairly old, with a pair of thick framed glasses. She bore a stern expression as she gazed at the four youths.

No one said a word.

The aging professor fixed her gaze on Raven.

"I see you've arrived. Would you like to know of the rules you will have to follow here now, or would you rather wait to hear them in the Grand Hall," she said with an annoyed drawl. Bleach smirked at the question.

"We could go either way, but rules are meant to be broken, so it won't matter."

McGonagall glared at him.

"I hope you would do no such thing. You may be Dumbledore's guests, but guest none the less. You should respect the rules."

"I'd rather eat vomit flavored beans," Red said dryly. McGonagall straightened to her full height, eyeing the four teens. A sudden wave of powerful magic ran through the four, causing gulps to be heard from three of them. Raven, apparently unaffected by McGonagall's magical killer intent, smirked.

"Don't worry. We'll be good."

_For now. _He added in his head.

"Very well. Follow me."

Without another word, McGonagall lead them into the castle.

They filed into Hogwarts, the great and knowing castle welcoming its lost children into its waiting halls. The whole castle just seemed to brightened with the arrival of its four lost children. If only it could have its fifth and final lost student returned to her, then Hogwarts could truly feel complete.

.

.

.

"Nicholas. Nicholas. Nick!"

"Looks like we've lost him mate."

"Pity, he was a good guy."

"Dudley, don't take his tarts."

"Well he's not eating them."

Nicholas Potter pulled his eyes away from the Advanced Potions text book he had been reading from and glared at his friends.

"Dudley put down my tarts. I'm still alive you gits."

"Well pardon us for believing you kicked the bucket. You've been staring at that bloody book every since you got it in Potions," Dudley pointed out. "Just because it helped you win Slughorn's Liquid Luck doesn't mean it's magical. Well, more magical. I mean, has magic in it. I uh…"

"Don't hurt yourself Dudley." Nicholas teased before taking back one of his tarts and popping it in his mouth. "Besides, it's not the potion I'm interested in. However this Half-Blood Prince is, he's a great spell maker. Look at this, Sectumsepra. What do you think it does?"

"Sounds kind of nasty," Nevel mused.

"Maybe we can test it out on one of Nevel's plants," Dudley suggested, much to the dismay and protest of said botanist.

"You leave my plants alone!"

"Fine, we'll use Trevor."

"Oi!"

The two started to argue. Nicholas, like everyone else at the Gryffindor table, ignored the nightly routine. It was a common occurrence between the two friends. It happened so very often that everyone in Hogwarts acted like it was as normal as the ghosts. Finding the potion book to be more interesting, Nicholas turned his attention back to that. It had been a sheer luck that he had found the book. He had lost his book the night after his run in with his brother. He couldn't remember where he had placed it or if he had tossed it during his angry fit. Either way, he had no book for potions and Slughorn had allowed him to get one from the locked cabinet in the back of the room. There was only one book in there. It was an old, pre-used book. Notes on potions and spells were scattered all over the pages.

However, there was one word within the book that really caught his attention. It was written on random pages, with little to no info behind it. And where there were information on the spell, they were jotted randomly with words that made no sense what so ever. However, it didn't matter to the persistent Potter. He had a lead on whatever his brother might have been doing the past ten years.

"Shikai…"

Suddenly, there was a loud bang, causing the entire Grand Hall to look up as McGonagall walked back in. hushed voices filled the air as the students caught sight of four young teens following the transfiguration professor. They all wore the same blue cap, covering their hair. Each were dressed in muggle clothing, making the student body wonder what these teens were doing here at Hogwarts.

"Oi, Nicholas, look."

Following Dudley's words, Nicholas looked up to see McGonagall walking towards the head table. However, what really caught his attention were the four capped teens. He easily recognized the caps to be the ones Harry had been wearing on Saturday. He had forgotten that they were supposed to come to Hogwarts this week. Sudden determination started to bubble deep inside the green eyed boy.

"May I have your attention please?" Dumbledore began. Nicholas didn't hear much of the speech. His eyes focused on the matching emerald eyes that were behind a pair of wire framed glasses. The two brothers made eye contact, each silently conveying a message to the other. One challenged the other to try and convince him to join the "perfect family". The other challenged his twin to bring on whatever he had planned. This was going to be some hell of a week.

* * *

AN: Just a quick question. While writing this chapter, an idea occured to me. Should I write a prequel to Blurring Your Perspective involving the adventured Harry and Co had when they were growing up, leading to the occurent events in this story? Just a story of how they got together, what they learned, how they lived, and all the places they've been. The story would of course be multi cross over, involving mostsly Harry Potter and the Shikai references, but the people and places they go to will have other series in it just for kicks and laughes. Well, until next time.


	13. An Eventful Evening

Sloth: Hello one and all and welcome to the next chapter of Blurring Your Perspective! I'm so glad to know that people are still following this story. I was afraid the long hiatus would've killed some followers, but the massive amount of reviews I got the following morning after posting the last chapter made me so happy. I'm glad there are still fans.

Before we get on with this chapter, one review pointed out some inconsistencies in the story. Mostly they had to do with Nicholas. So to clear some things up with him, I put a Trivia one him since he's the only OC in the story. Just to let anyone know, to throw off confusion, Nicholas is Harry's OLDER, IDENTICAL twin. The only difference is that Harry has glasses and Nick doesn't. Either from contacts or magic, that's up to you.

Also, another review wondered why Bleach, Autumn, and Red would be scared of McGonagall. That was just being showing off my favorite character. I like McGongall and I just think that she doesn't shine that often in WBWL fics. Plus, I never do anything without a reason. So, I leave it to you to figure out my motives.

Finally, to clear some things up, since this is partially a Bleach crossover, with rare cameos from the Bleach series, there needs to be some clarrifications on things. The swords Raven and friends have are called Zanpaktou. That's the technical term for them and thus that is how the swords will be refered to when Zanpaktou is mentioned. Shikai is the technique in which the swords take on a different form. Shikai is refering to the the Technique and release of the swords. Nicholas will not be learning Shikai.

* * *

**An Eventful Evening**

"Do they really have to stare at us like that?" Bleach whispered to Red. The red headed boy shrugged. This was the first time in a long time since they were ever in front of a big crowd. Red remembered fondly the first time he and the others had stood in front of a big crowd. It had been the last day they were all in Japan about two years ago. That day had been the best day of their lives. Though they had left a lot of friends behind that day, they never lost the bonds they had created and forged. A small smile formed on each of their faces as they remembered that fateful day. And the smiles were wiped away once Dumbledore's words entered their ears.

"It is our honor to host, for this week, a group of young wizards not unlike our very own. They have traveled all over the world and have learned from different schools each. They've come to our prestige school to learn our way of magic. And, as I hope, they will be willing to share some of their knowledge with us during their stay."

'_Like that'll happen',_ all four of them thought simultaneously.

Dumbledore then proceeded to bring out an old, ratty hat from his seat. This caused some whispering to erupt between the students and confusion to run through the minds of the Blurs. They each wondered what Dumbledore would be doing with such an old hat.

"Now, to truly share the experiences of Hogwarts, each house will be host to one of these four young wizards."

Raven glared at the old wizard out of the corner of his eyes.

'_Is he serious? What exactly are you up to Dumbledore?' _Out of the corner of his eyes he could also see James looking at him expectantly. Did the man think he was going to end up in his brother's house? Not if he could help it.

"If you would please step up to be sorted as Professor McGonagall call your names."

Tension filled the air as the four waited to hear McGonagall call their names. They weren't nervous about being sorted or anything. To be honest, they were more worried about their identities being exposed. They had worked hard to make sure no one in England knew who they truly were. Not to mention they were no longer the bratty kids they had once been. Those names died the day they became a new family. And if Dumbledore thought he could change things, he'd be sorry.

"Blur, Autumn."

If anyone was paying close enough attention, they could have seen all four of them exhale in relief. After they had sighed in relief, Autumn stepped forward, where Dumbledore gently placed the Sorting Hat on top of her head. Not a second after, the hat shouted, "RAVENCLAW!"

Applause rang out throughout the Grand Hall. It appeared as if the students were more excited than they appeared. The prospect of getting new housemates must really be exciting for these students. If that was the most exciting thing that happened here, the four feared they might die of boredom.

Autumn hesitantly darted off toward the table that was clapping the loudest. The students all wore blue ties, and blue napkins were scattered along the tables. She sat down next to a beautiful Asian girl with long, raven colored hair. She had a bright smile on her face as she greeted Autumn.

"Welcome to Ravenclaw. I'm Cho Chang. And this is Luna Lovegood," Cho said, introducing Autumn to the blond haired girl sitting next to her. Autumn recognized her as the young blond that was with Nicholas Potter from that last time they were in Hogsmeade.

"A pleasure."

Back at the staff table, McGonagall proceeded to the next name.

"Blur, B…" there was a pause and if one looked carefully they could see McGonagall roll her eyes, "Bleach."

The grinning blond practically jumped over to the ratted old hat. Autumn, being closer to the students now, could hear some of them mutter about Bleach.

"What an odd name."

"He must be foreign."

"Isn't bleach a muggle cleaner?"

"His parents must have been loony."

The last comment made the brunette smile. They had no idea just how loony Bleach's parents really were. If they knew Bleach was really Draco Malfoy, they would have crapped themselves.

Suddenly, the hat shouted, "Hufflepuff!"

The look on Bleach's face was hilarious.

"I go where!"

The outburst earned the blond several glares from the house he had been assigned to. McGonagall glared at him even more. He pointed toward the Hufflepuff table and Bleach grumbled his way over. He The minute he sat down, it was as if he parted the red sea. Every Hufflepuff scooted away from him, giving him a look. He glared back fiercely.

"Blur, Red."

Red sighed before he walked over to the hat. It was obvious he didn't care much for the little ceremony and only wish to get it over with. His impatience was only solidified when he took off his cap, giving everyone in the Great Hall a glimpse of his bright red hair. The whole place erupted into whispers and chatter.

"Look at his hair!"

"Do you think he's a Weasley?"

"That's not possible."

"Another Weasley? Should we be worried?"

Red's left brow twitched. He was getting really irritated with all the whispers about him and his air. Just because he had red hair they assumed he was a Weasley? Sure they were right, but did they have to jump to conclusions because of his hair? The place was full of idiots. It was only worse with the freaking hat talking to him.

_I heard that. You really are a Weasley._

_Shut the hell up you stupid ratted old hat and just put me somewhere._

_Well, with that attitude, you're obviously a _GRYFFINDOR!

Said table applauded very loudly, but Red didn't care about that. He slowly took the hat off his head and glared right at it.

"You know, I'm pretty sure you'd make great a fire."

_Temper, temper._

Red left without a word, walking over toward the Gryffindor table. It was his misfortune that the only empty seat was right next to the last person he wanted to talk to. Begrudgingly, Red sat down next to Nicholas Potter. There was obvious tension between the two boys. Anyone could tell that having the two of them in the same vicinity wasn't going to turn out well. However, they decided to be civil and focused on the last member of the quartet that had yet to be sorted. For the students of Hogwarts, this wasn't something new or suspicious. However, to the three temporarily sorted visitors, this was suspicious.

'_Raven should've gone before Red,_' Autumn thought. '_Why would they put Red before him? Unless…'_ The girl briefly looked up at the Headmaster. Her keen eye sight caught the twinkle in his eyes and the smirk on his face. _'That old coot can't be serious can he? Is he seriously trying to expose Raven? Is the war _that_ bad?'_

"P-" There was a sudden pause in McGonagall's speech, as if her lips had been frozen with a jinx. She cleared her throat. "Pardon me. Blur, Raven."

Raven smirked proudly, uncrossing his fingers from behind his back. He walked over to the hat, ignoring the perplexed look on the Headmaster. McGonagall gave him a look before placing the hat on his head.

_Well, well, you've sure got an interesting mind here child._

'_Thanks'_

_Calculating like a Ravenclaw, yet loyal like a Hufflepuff. _

'_Please don't even. I'd rather be a lion than a freaking badger.'_

_What is it with everyone downsizing the Hufflepuffs? No matter. You wouldn't belong there anyways. Hmm…you're a lot more tamed than your brother. Not as reckless. I suppose you get it from your mother._

There was a sudden increase in pressure in the air. It was subtle, but it was noticeable to some of the more experienced wizards, while it made others uncomfortable.

_Touchy. I suppose you don't belong there. No. No you're more intelligent than to let your courage get the better of you. You actually know how to think. You know how to work around the system. You know how to get to your goal, but you're more patient than others. Smart, patient, calculating. Yes, you're definitely a SLYTHERINE!_

Raven had to hold back the laughter that bubbled in the back of his throat as he heard two simultaneous thuds. He was sure the Potters were surprised by his sorting. He was probably the first in that entire bloodline, not that he cared, to ever get into Slytherine. Still, he didn't care. Step one of his plan had gone off without a hitch. They now had one person in each of the houses, giving them all the ability to search Hogwarts more thoroughly. As he walked towards the table that inhabited the most snootiest children in existence, his brain was already formulating the next step. Hopefully by the end of the week, or even before then, they would have what they wanted and they could ditch the school without much thought. Then they could get back to the real war plan and get rid of all the Deatheaters that were trying to take over their home.

As soon as Raven sat down, the food on the table disappeared and was replaced with delectable delights. The students tucked into their desserts, enjoying the sweet delight after the interesting introduction to their guests. Some talked amongst themselves while they tried to figure out why four random international students would come to Hogwarts. Other, more social, students had engaged their guests in polite conversation. Well, mostly Cho and Luna talked to Autumn. The three girls seemed to be hitting it off real well. Bleach had pretty much insulted away any chance he had for a conversation among the Hufflepuffs. Raven was quietly eating while he listened to Blaise Zambini talked to him and ignored Pansy's attempt to flirt with him. As for Red…

"Quit staring. People with think you're a poof."

"Excuse me?" Nicholas demanded. Red gave a half-hearted glare at the raven haired boy.

"What? Can't believe your brother's a Slytherine?" He took a bite of his dessert. "We said we're nothing like you think we are."

Nicholas glared. Red almost laughed.

"Are you going to eat that?"

.

.

.

After Dumbledore had dismissed everyone, the quartet had settled into their temporary dorms. There had been mixed reactions from each of them when they saw where they would be sleeping. Red had been upset that he had to share a room with Nicholas and his friends. He had at least gotten the bed next to the window. Which served him well when everyone had fallen asleep.

Red had been staring out the window when a flash of white passed by. He smiled at the sight of the snow white owl that sat on the window seal.

"Hey there Hedwig. Raven send you?"

The owl hooted softly. Looking around, Red made sure that the other boys in the room were asleep. Feeling satisfied, he quietly slid out of bed and jumped out the window. Normally, for any normal person, wizards included, jumping out a window was suicidal. However, Red had been trained to do dangerous stunts. Something like this was nothing for the young daredevil. As the air rushed past him, he pulled out his sword. The blade shimmered against the moon light as it grew to the right size.

"Bark! Cerberus!"

The blade burst into flames. The flames encircled the falling redhead. The magical essence of the flames created a sort of bubble around the teen and it started to slow his fall. The flaming ball gently floated down like a feather. It touched the ground softly and the flames dispersed. Red stood unharmed, his spear glowing a soft red.

"Could you be any louder?" Autumn's annoyed voice asked him. The girl walked towards him from the other side of the tower.

"I wasn't loud. I was perfectly quiet." He countered. The young witch rolled her eyes.

"Yeah right. No one could've been louder."

There was a loud crumpling sound as a hole appeared next to them. A silver, dragon headed chain slithered out of the hole briefly before it sunk back in. Seconds later Bleach jumped out of the hole, his Zanpaktou trailing behind him.

"Man it's great to be out of that stuffy dorm. Oh, Autumn, what's with the face?"

"Ugh, what is it with boys and loud entrances?" she asked herself. "Bleach, how on earth are you going to fix that hole?"

"Relax, it's not that bad." The blond said, waving the girl off as his weapon returned to its sword form. "Hey, where's Raven?"

"I'm not sure, but someone had to have sent Hedwig," Autumn answered. Said owl join the trio, landing on Autumn's out stretched arm. The girl stroked the owl's feathers. "He might have already gone ahead."

Bleach nodded.

"He could be searching the Slytherin house. I already did that with in Hufflepuff. Not much in there though."

"I did the same thing in Ravenclaw. Well, actually I didn't have to do much. The Ravenclaws love to gather and share information. I learned that their house founder had a diadem that could make anyone smart."

"You think it could be one of the items we're hunting?" Red asked.

"Not sure, but my instincts are telling me to find out more. What did you find out Red?"

"Simple. Nothing. Gryffindors got nothing in their house. Not even anything worth stealing. Sad really." The boy ran a hand through his flaming red hair as he looked around. "So, should we assume Raven went ahead of us and just start searching on our own?"

"It would be the smartest move," Autumn replied. Bleach smile, rolling his shoulder in excitement.

"Then let's go."

"Ok, Hedwig, find Raven and tell him to meet back here within the hour."

The snow white owl hooted and flapping her wings and taking flight into the night sky. Autumn turned to her two friends and started telling them what their next moves would be. Red would search the second floor, Bleach would look around the third, and she would take the fourth. After confirming this, the trio took off in separate directions.

.

.

.

Meanwhile, just on the outskirts of Hogwarts, where a protective ward shielded the grand building from intruders, Malfoy stood in front of the ward. He frowned at the invisible barrier. He knew trying to walk through would be useless. It would seem that Dumbledore had taken some serious precautions. There was no way anyone with a Dark Mark could pass through the ward. Well, not without some serious consequences or at least not without alerting the Order.

He placed a hand on where he believed the ward was and watched as the tips of his fingers sparkled with orange electricity.

"Clever old coot. I do wonder where he got the spell for this. No matter. I've always something up my sleeve."

There was a loud pop from behind the aristocrat. The blond haired man turned to see a short, rat like man cowering in between Bellatrix Lestrange and Fenrir Greyback. Behind the three of them was a large silver cage. A strange, haunting wail came from the cage, yet to the naked eye, there was nothing inside.

"Ah, you've arrived. And I see my colleague's 'pet' with you," Malfoy beamed. Fenrir growled.

"Next time go get it yourself. The damn thing nearly took my head off if it wasn't for Bellatrix."

Malfoy chuckled.

"That just shows you're not in tune to the spiritual plane like Bella and I. I'm not surprised. Only truly great wizards can see them."

Greyback ignored the snide remarked and just moved away from the cage.

"And what exactly is _it_? It feels like a Dementor."

The invisible creature wailed, as if responding to the werewolf's comment. The blond haired wizard strolled over toward the cage. Peter Pettigrew, A.K.A Wormtail, wimpered as Bellatrix practically manhandled him away from the cage door.

"You're very close Greyback," Malfoy began, "This is similar to a Dementor. Think of it as a close relative. They both exude a very negative feeling into the air around them. However these magnificent creatures come in all different shapes and sizes."

As he explained this, Malfoy examined the creature that only he and Bella could see. It was a grotesque creature indeed. It had muscular frog-like legs and long, beefy arms. Its upper body and torso looked like it belonged to a muscle man its neck was as thick as an oak tree. In the middle of its chest was a large hole. Its skin was dark green, with bony bumps along the side of its arms and torso. Its face was covered with a mask made completely of bone, forming the shape of a lion's skull. The creature wailed again, it's haunting voice bellowing into the night.

"In Japan they are called Hallows, mostly because of the holes in their chests."

"And they have their own Dementor's Kiss!" Bellatrix joyfully laughed. "Only they don't kiss. It's more of a bite really. They feed on human souls. That's why we brought Wormtail with us."

"No! Please you can't!" the rat like man begged. "I'm still of some use!"

"Quite right you are," Malfoy agreed. He took out his wand and unlocked the cage with a simple wave. Slowly, the door slide open, the Hallow gently easing itself out of it. Greyback drew back, his senses telling him to run. The feeling of fear and danger magnifying as the door opened.

"What exactly are you doing?" he demanded.

"An experiment. With Dumbledore's new ward up, there's no way we can attack Hogwarts. However, if we were to send something quite dangerous, we might be able to force his hand."

"Can you even control whatever that thing is?"

"Of course. With the right spell. However, we the best can only be cast…" There was a loud scream as Wormtail was picked up by the creature. His body twisted and turned as it was thrown into the air. With an amazing speed the wizard's body was then thrust into the ground with a loud crack. The Death Eaters could see a pale white mist suddenly escape from the dying man's mouth. "When the Hallow feeds."

With a quick motion, Malfoy cast his spell. The Hallow wailed once more. It took a step towards Malfoy, crushing Wormtail's body and soul in the process.

"Quite a mess he made." Bellatrix joked. "Now let's get to business Lucius. If this works, we'll be able to invade the school by the end of the week."

"You're absolutely right my dear Bella. Now, my new pet, here's what I want you to do…"

.

.

.

Back inside the castle, Raven was walking through the corridors of the first floor. He had already received Autumn's message and after sending Hedwig off with a snack, he resumed his search. In truth, they didn't have much to go on. The list he had gotten from his former sensei wasn't very helpful. It only named some possible items and a spell that would help test for any dark magic. It was already hard enough trying to search for the items when he didn't know where to begin. Plus, the castle apparently liked to move staircases and walls.

"Maybe there's a secret passageway or something."

He suddenly stopped, his green eyes darting from right to left. His breathing steadied.

"You know, you might want to get your nose checked. It makes a loud whistling sound whenever you breathe."

There was a quick, airy sound that closely resembled the sound of someone catching their breath. Raven turned quickly in the direction of the sound. In front of him was nothing but thin air, but his senses were telling him otherwise. His hand slowly reached for his shrunken sword at his hip.

"Well, you want to come out or do I have to force you?"

There was a growl before a fluid ripple filled the air. Nicholas appeared in front of Raven, a silvery fabric coming off his body. Raven eyed the cloak, his eyes twinkling with interest.

"Nice cloak. Bet its worth a lot."

"It's a family heirloom," the other boy quickly snapped. "What are you doing down here anyways?"

"I could ask you the same thing," Raven bit back. He smirked. "I never thought you'd be one for sneaking out after curfew. Normally you'd be passed out by this time."

Nicholas frowned. He knew he wasn't exactly a night time person, but that didn't mean he liked having that piece of information rubbed in his face.

"Why don't you head on back to your little dorm room Nikkie?" Raven suggested as he moved away from his brother.

"Hey wait a minute. You still didn't answer my question."

"Since when and why would I have to answer your questions?" Raven asked, not even looking back at Nicholas. He heard the other boy sigh in frustration, but continued on. He heard footsteps following behind him.

"You know, your friend Red isn't as quiet as he thinks. I could hear him jumping out of the tower. I know you guys are up to something."

"And what exactly do you think we're up to?" Raven asked. He didn't stop moving. He kept walking through the corridors. By now, Nicholas was already by his side. To Raven, it didn't matter. It was ten minutes to midnight and he knew Nicholas wouldn't be able to stay awake past that.

"I don't know. But I was thinking-"

"If you're going to go all chick-flick on me and assume I'm going to tell you because we're long-lost brothers, then you got a better chance of losing your virginity to a woman than that. Honestly, are you Potters _that_ delusional or have you been hit in the head more times than you can count?"

Raven watch Nicholas' wide eyes narrow into a glare. Absentmindedly, the boy wondered if it was healthy to enjoy pushing his brother's buttons. He knew Nicholas had a temper problem and if it got his brother to leave him be than he'd exploit it as much as he wants.

"Aw, did baby brother piss you off? I wonder how the press would react if they knew that the savior was so easily pissed."

"You know what!"

"AAAARGH!"

The sudden scream ripped through the corridor, catching both boys off guard. They looked up, they're eyes staring down the corridor, where the scream came from.

"What was that?" Nicholas asked.

Raven stared down the darkened hall. He sent out tendrils of his magic down the hall to see if he could sense what was down there. It had been a trick he had learned from Severus not long after he had done Shikai for the first time. It was a technique used to help him check for enemies whenever he couldn't see them. Not soon after he had stretched out his magic had he sensed the creature hidden in the dark. His eyes widened in shock.

'_T-that's not possible. There's no way in hell this could right. They're not suppose to be native in Europe.'_

Raven was pulled out of his thoughts when Nicholas bolted down the corridor. The younger twin stared at his brother's retreating back. When his mind registered that Nicholas ran right into danger, he cursed before following him. He didn't like his brother, but that didn't mean he was going to let the idiot die because of his own stupidity. The two brothers ran down the hall and were greeted by a disturbing sight. Pinned to the floor was a transparent clown looking man. His face was twisted in pain and his ghostly body was being eaten by a green skinned, bone faced monster.

"What the bloody hell is that!" Nicholas exclaimed as Peeves the Poltergeist was devoured before them. Raven turned to the other boy in surprise.

'_He can see the Hallow?'_

The Hallow looked up from its meal to see the two boys. It could smell the magic exuding from them. It licked the air, tasting their magical essence. It wailed, liking the taste. Before either of the boys could react, the Hallow jumped forward, rushing towards the both of them at blind speed, its mouth gaping open.

to be contniued...

* * *

Character Trivia: Nicholas Potter

Nicholas is the oldest son of James and Lily Potter and teh older twin brother of Harry Potter (aka Raven Blur). He is physically identical to Raven, with raven black hair and emerald green eyes. The only difference between them is that Nicholas does not have glasses and the scar on his forhead. Nicholas is the chosen one from the Prophecy that Trellwany gave years ago. when he was younger, he was dawned on by his parents and bullied Harry. He picked on his younger brother, but he still cared about his younger brother, not that he'd ever tell him that. When Harry ran away, Nicholas was indded saddened by this. His rash behavior and short temper can be contributed to the fact he never got to apologyzed to Harry and his constant hate for his mistake.

Nicholas is identical to Raven, but his personality is the opposite of his younger brother. He also, for some reason yet to be explained, gets instantly tired at the stroke of midnight. He will not be learning Shikai.


	14. The Midnight Madness

Sloth: Hey guys, sorry for the late update. I had rehearsals for a play last week and I just couldn't get the energy to upload. I had to focus on getting my lines right and stuff. Anyways, here's what should have been last Sunday's chapter. It's a thrilling chapter with a long overdue action. It also has some interesting, mystery answering details and a very shocking plot twist! Remember folks, this is an AU story. That meanst Alternate Universe. That means it won't follow canon and this chapter will really send this story into the AU realm.

Also, another cameo appearance from everyone's favorite blond shimigami from Bleach! We also learn why Bleach, Autumn, and Red were scared of McGonagall when they met her at Hogwarts. I hope you'll enjoy it. Also, there is a small appearance by a minor character from Charmed.

Therefore I must say, I do not own Harry Potter, Bleach, or Charmed.

Enjoy!

* * *

**The Midnight Madness**

"GET DOWN!"

The wall behind them exploded as the Hallow crashed into it. Raven quickly stood up from where he had just shoved Nicholas to the ground. He gritted his teeth in frustration, still confused on what had just transpired. Hollows were Japanese native creatures. Having one all the way here in Britain was highly impossible. They weren't known for their migration patterns or anything. They mostly stayed around places that were heavy with spirits. Graveyards, haunted locations, the country side, those kinds of places. Hollows were sometimes known for being in populated towns, but due to the fact that they too were just violent spirits, normal humans and weak magical beings couldn't see them.

"So how the hell did a Hollow get to Scotland?" Raven asked himself as he prepared for the Hollow. The angry spirit wailed in fury as it crawled out from the rubble. Out of the corner of his eye he could see Nicholas pull out his wand, preparing to fight off the creature. Raven frowned at the other boy's idiocy.

"Don't even try. This isn't a normal monster that you can fight off with that little stick."

Nicholas gave him a look.

"How would you know that?"

"Because I do. Now on my cue, get ready to run."

"What? I'm not going to-"

"Just do it alright!"

Raven demanded. There was a pause in their conversation as the hollow jumped forward again. The twins narrowly dodged by jumping in opposite directions, allowing the creature to fly past them and skid down the hall. It dug its feet into the ground as it went across the hallways, digging deep into the stone floor. A pair of claw like markings ten feet long on the stone floor showed just how deadly the Hollow's claws could be.

Raven quickly back-flipped into a standing position as he glared at the Hollow. Not wasting time, he took his shrunken sword from his pocket and pulled it out. It grew quickly as he willed his magic into it. Taking the full sized sword with both hands, he got into a fighting stance, the point of the blade directed at the skull-like mask. Monster and wizard stood at a standstill, staring each other down, waiting for the other to make the first move. Out of the corner of his eye, Raven could see Nicholas slowly stand up, wand at the ready.

'_Damn him. I can't let the idiot die. It'll ruin everything. I cannot have a dead body on my hands. Not now. And this Hollow…where could it have come from? Doesn't matter. I've faced bigger in Japan.'_

The hall was silent. No one made a move. All three of them stood still, staring down the other, waiting. Outside, the face of the clock ticked the seconds away.

Tick.

Tick

Tick.

The second the hands read 11:50, a instantaneous effect seemed to affect the three combatants and they all attacked at once.

The Hollow jumped forward, its mouth open wide and an open claw reaching forward. Nicholas fired a stunner at the Hollow, but to his horror, the spell passed right through it as if it were made of air. The boy was frozen with surprise as the monster seemed to make a mid-air turn straight for the shell shocked boy. Nicholas stared into the eyes of the beast.

"You idiot!"

Raven appeared in front of the boy, his sword cutting the palm of the Hollow's blade. The dark haired, glasses wearing boy quickly landed on his feet before jumping forward with great speed. He brought his sword down, but the Hollow dodged the blade by jumping backwards. Raven landed on his feet, and turned to Nicholas.

"Now would be a good time to start running. You aren't going to be able to do jack shit against this thing."

"Oh and like you can?"

"Dammit stop being stubborn and just-"

At some points in his life, Raven just had to ask himself, why he even bothered. He knew some people were just stubborn and the only way to get through to them was to whack them upside the head. If you tried too hard to try and convince these types of people otherwise, you only hurt yourself. As Raven felt the side of his body explode in pain, followed by the sharp beating he got from hitting the wall, he remembered what Severus had always told him.

"_Never turn your back to the enemy. Even when trying to help another."_

"Bastard," Raven muttered to himself. He could feel blood slowly drip from the side of his head. He hadn't expected the Hollow to move so quickly. He heard a loud cry and saw Nicholas get thrown into the opposite wall. He gritted his teeth as he realized that the Hollow was playing with its food. He felt around for his sword and as soon as he felt the handle of the weapon, he held it up and point it directly at the Hollow, which had turned its attention to the fallen Boy-Who-Lived.

"Blast, Winchester!"

.

.

.

The silence of the 4th floor was perfect for her to sneak around. Growing up with three rowdy boys, one learned to enjoy the silence as much as possible. It was a gift rarely treasured by many. She also learned to work with and in the silent nights. Her soft footsteps were as gentle as feathers fluttering from flying birds. Blending in with the quiet also allowed Autumn to tell when someone was near. Other people, especially arrogant wizards, tended to be unnecessarily loud whenever they walked around. She honestly didn't know why wizards liked big entrances so much.

Having just avoided being caught by the grumpy grounds keeper and his cat, Autumn eased out of the shadows and continued moving down the hallway when she felt it. It was a small, gentle presence close by. She paused, looking around carefully.

"Old castles like these always have secret passages. Whatever I'm feeling must be nearby." She whispered to herself. She looked around, carefully examining the wall. Placing a hand against the smooth stone surface, she felt a magical presence emanating from it. It wasn't like the aura that the walls of the school usually emanated. She had felt that the school had some sort of protective aura when she and the others stepped through the doors. However, what she was feeling now, this was different.

"There's something here. It's faint, as if something's muffling it. I wonder if-"

She was cut off when she felt a very different aura. It was distant, evil aura that was frightening familiar. She looked around her, her fingers inching towards her belt, where he shrunken sword resided. When nothing exploded around her, she concluded that the Hollow was already inside the castle, but on another floor. When she felt a wave of energy rush through the castle, she gasped.

"Raven."

Autumn started to run, but paused, looking back at the castle wall.

'_There's something there. I've a feeling that its important…but I-I can't let a Hollow run around the building. Raven released his Shikai, which means it's powerful.'_

She sighed before she made her decision.

.

.

.

Teachers were not supposed to leave the school, however McGonagall was making an exception tonight. She had left just after dinner, heading to her private room to use the floo network that was installed there. Because the network was her own private networking, she didn't need to worry about anyone discovering her late night escapade. She feared that if anyone, especially Dumbledore, discovered she had left the building, then questions would arise. Questions that she could not answer.

After flooing out of Hogwarts and into the Hog's Head, she looked around. There was lit candle on, its flame flickering against a draft. She walked towards the candle and leaned in, shifting her eyes to make sure, just in case, that no one was around. Pleased that she was alone, she began muttering a spell.

"Flame recognize my inner core,

And open the secret door."

In an instant the flame on the candle grew, rising high above her head. The line of fire turned midair to the left. It continued in that direction before bending downward. When the flame touched the wooden floor, there was a flash of light and a door appeared in front of her.

She would never understand wiccan magic or how it could create a doorway to another part of the world without some sort of deadly consequences, but it came in handy. Granted, she was no wiccan and thus could not do anything very powerful, but she could do some things. She quickly passed through the doorway, letting it flame out of existence behind her.

On the other side of the magic door was a small room. Sitting on the floor behind her was another candle. In the middle of the room was a round, wooden table, which contained four cups of tea and a lamp. Around the table were four wooden chairs, three of which were occupied.

The first person McGonagall recognized was the grumpy old man in dull, grey wool clothes. They almost looked like rags. His white bread wasn't as long as Albus', but it was definitely a Dumbledore family trait if there ever was one. As she sat down, McGonagall greeted Aberforth Dumbledore with a curt nod. To her left was an old woman whose short grey hair was done neatly in a bun. She wore a slimming red dress that looked very Victorian. She had a pearl necklace and a very knowing smirk on her face. Most notably was her near transparent and glowing form. McGonagall stared a little surprised.

"Penny? Don't tell me…"

"I'm afraid so. Don't look too shocked, my heart was going to give out anyways. At least now my girls have their powers. I just wish I had more time to train them in the craft."

"Well, now is a good a time as any. At least I didn't send mine to you. That wouldn't have gone well," the fourth person in the room chuckled. McGonagall turned to glare across the table.

"You should have done that instead. Honestly Severus, agreeing to let them come to Hogwarts? I thought we agreed they would never be a part of this war," she scolded.

Severus Snape sighed.

"I know what we agreed upon. However, unlike you, I'm allowing them to be adults."

"I beg your pardon? I can't believe-"

"Will you two be quiet?" Aberforth demanded in a grumpy manner. "I want to go to bed as soon as possible."

"Now Aberforth, don't be so grumpy." Penny said calmly. "We all agreed that this meeting was very important. Now, Minerva, you told us in your note that your nephew had information on these Horcruxes that Voldemort made. Would you please explain?"

McGonagall recalled the note she had sent out earlier that day. She had first discovered the urgency of calling a meeting when she got a visit from her mischievous nephew.

_FLASHBACK_

_Her as the last student trickled out of her classroom, Minerva McGonagall let out a sigh before turning to the steaming pot of tea on her desk. Today's lesson had been rough. She was anxious about the arrival of the four foreign students that Dumbledore had invited. She had felt odd that her good friend did not tell her who these students were or where he had met them. Was he withholding information from her again? Ever since the war started, he had been acting secretive and somewhat manipulative. _

_She sighed before taking a sip of her tea, enjoying the sweet and smooth flavor of jasmine. Most English people didn't drink foreign tea, but McGonagall loved making exception for gifts. Especially when it tasted this good. _

"_I see you're enjoying the tea I sent you Auntie!"_

_She almost dropped the cup from the loud, enthusiastic voice. She looked up to see a young man dressed in green oriental robes and blue pants. He wore wooden sandals and a green striped, white fisherman hat. His blond hair sprouted out from underneath the hat. The young man leaned on a cane as he waved to the older woman._

"_Kisuke, what in Merlin's name are you doing here?"_

_The man, Kisuke, pouted._

"_Wha? You don't want a visit from your dear old nephew. I'm hurt." He turned away from her, his hand over his head as he feint crying. "Oh what has the world come to when a man can even visit the woman who helped raise me? Especially when I come baring gifts?"_

_Rolling her eyes, McGonagall stood up and walked over to the overly dramatic man._

"_Oh enough Kisuke. Please stop that."_

_Kisuke stopped crying and turned, grinning at his aunt. She knew him all too well. That or he was being too dramatic to make it look real. Pulling his hat down over his eye, he smirked before starting on a more serious conversation._

"_Very well. I knew I couldn't fool you, but it was worth a try. Anyways, I came by with some information I thought you might like."_

_Instantly she became intrigued. She knew her nephew very well and she knew he rarely gave away anything he or his vast underground network of spies had gathered. After all as the former head of the research department in the Gotei 13, Japan's wizard police system, Kisuke was always searching for info. If he was willing to give information without being asked to, then this was important. He pushed a seat towards her desk._

"_Have a seat."_

"_Don't mind if I do."_

_Kisuke practically jumped into the chair with a bright smile on his partially covered face. He gently pushed the tip of the hat up, staring at his aunt with one, bright blue eye._

"_Now, have you hear of the Deathly Hallow?"_

_END FLASHBACK_

"We spent the free period discussing the Deathly Hallow and the Horcruxes," McGonagall explained. "He believes that Dumbledore is after the Hallows."

Aberforth huffed. "Not surprised. He's been obsessed with cheating death ever since the death of our mother. If these Hallow can cheat death, no wonder the Shinigami sent Severus here to investigate."

"Yes, it was quite a shock when Yamamoto told me about the Hallows and Horcruxes. No one should have the power to cheat death. It is a balance that must be upheld, that much I've learned from being a part of the Gotei 13." He said as he sipped his tea. He looked up and saw McGonagall's glare. "Oh come now McGonagall, you know I don't want those four a part of this as much as you do."

"Oh really? Well, imagine my surprise then when Kisuke told me his favorite student and his friends would be coming to Hogwarts. Besides Ichigo Kurosaki, Kisuke has had only one personal student. Raven and the others should not be involved in this. They're not trained in handling wizards."

"Now Minerva, I'm sure that they can handle a few arrogant wizards," Penny said casually. "I mean look at mean. I was raised a wiccan witch and I taught tons of wizards a thing or two. And look at Aberforth. He's a bar keep and can still kick butt with his fragile old bones."

"Oh, this coming from the ghost." Aberforth grumbled.

"That's different," she turned to Severus, a look of displeasure on her face. "You promised me all those years ago, when you made me swear that Unbreakable Oath, that you would protect them from both the Order and the Death Eaters."

"And I will. Those four are grown enough to make their own decisions. They decided to go to Hogwarts on their own. They decided to help find the Horccruxes and end the war. They just want it to end so they can return to living without constant parental control. Wasn't it you who promised them that you'd stop looking over their shoulders?"

McGonagall took a small intake of breath as she was reminded of the promise she made a year ago when she and Severus had both agreed to let them live on their own in Diagon Alley. However, that never met she never worried. Every other day until school began she had watched them in her cat form. She monitored their activities to ensure they were safe. Ever since she had met them, having stumbled upon Severus and the four of them five years ago, she had become very close to them, treating them as if they were her own grandchildren. She would have actually told their parents years ago if she had not sworn never to reveal the children's identity to anyone who did not know.

When they were discovered, she had such a hard time pretending she knew nothing about them. She acted shock when the Weasleys revealed that Red and the others were still alive. She pretended to be curious about the Shikai technique, even though she was there when Autumn achieved it. She had to hide all the letters she got from her surrogate grandchildren while they traveled the world with Severus and trained in Japan. She was just lucky that Raven used a spell on her earlier that evening to prevent her from saying his real name in public. If he hadn't, she was sure the enchanted name list would've forced her to say the name written on its parchment.

"I don't know how you can do it Severus," McGonagall said as she calmed down and sat in the seat. She started taking sips from her cup of tea, letting the warm liquid slide down her throat and warmed her body. "I've only grown attached to them and treat them as my grandchildren, but you…how can you go on knowing your own daughter and her friends out fighting monsters and stealing from wizards?"

At this, Penny and Aberforth turned to look at the younger man, his hair shadowing his face.

"With great pride and worry Minerva. There's nothing I hate more than watching her grow and having her think I died with the rest of the family that night Bellatrix attacked us. However, there's no sense in dwelling on the past. Now, let's drop the subject and find out where these Hallows are."

The other three members watched as Severus stared at his tea before rambling on about possible ways to find them Hallow. McGonagall stared at her tea, thinking of the horrible turn of events. She prayed things would change soon.

.

.

.

It had just hit midnight when Raven's super charged spell slammed into the Hollow, sending it crashing into the wall and away from Nicholas. He would've been happy if he hadn't seen Nicholas pass out on the floor. He cursed his poor luck. Now he had to carry his lazy ass of a brother back to the Gryffindor tower.

"Maybe I can leave him in front of the stairs." Raven muttered to himself.

A deafening roar brought his attention as the Hollow burst out of the rubble jumped at him. Raven barrel rolled out of the way, clutching Winchester in his hand. He point the gun at the Hollow and pulled the trigger. A ball of red light shot out of the barrel of the gun, followed by a loud, explosive bang. The spell bullet pierced the side of the Hollow and exploded on contact. The Hollow roared louder and held up a fist. Raven growled as he dodged the fist. He fired another spell bullet, but it only grazed the beast.

'_Damn it. I've already used three Bombarda spells. What the hell is it going take to kill this thing?' _He looked over to the side and saw Nicholas laying their, his chest rising steadily. '_He's not going to be any help what so ever.' _

The Hollow jumped at him, tackling Raven into the wall. He felt two of his ribs crack from the sheer force of the attack. He hit the wall with a loud crack. Raven fell to the floor, clutching his chest in pain. He was completely dumbfounded at how fast this Hollow was. Looking up, he saw it turn towards Nicholas.

"Damn it."

Flicking his wrist, Raven flipped open the bullet case. There were three empty holes while two of them were occupied with glowing orbs and the last held an actual bullet. With another flick of his wrist, he closed the compartment and it spun quickly. There was a audible snap as the empty holes were refilled. He quickly aimed the gun and pulled the trigger.

"Bombarda Maxima!"

There was a bright flash, followed by a loud bang. A large ball of light shot out of the barrel and incredible speed. It crashed into the back of the Hollow. The explosion was as massive as C4. The hall filled with smoke and debris. Raven covered himself from the blast of air that followed. He felt something silky brush past him. When the dust settled, Raven slowly looked up. There was still a small cloud of dust around the area he had just attacked. He slowly rose from the ground, panting heavily. He coughed and found splatters of blood in the palm of his hand.

"That was pleasant."

He looked over to see Nicholas was still passed out on the floor. He still wondered why his brother would fall asleep so well, but he didn't care. He needed some rest.

"Might as well get the idiot back to the tower."

Limping over to Nicholas, Raven clutched his sore chest. The dust cloud settled and Raven found the barely living Hollow crumbled on the floor, its mask cracked. He sealed his Zanpaktou, gripping the handle of the sword. At that moment, he heard a pair of footsteps coming from behind him.

"You look like hell Raven," Bleach honestly said. The black haired boy gave his blond friend the finger.

"Shut up." He said before stabbing the Hollow in the face. It gave a weak moan before turning to ashes that floated into the air and evaporated. "You guys sure took your time."

"But that looked like a normal Hollow." Red pointed out.

"It looked normal, but it sure as hell wasn't," Raven countered. "It was fast. Too fast. Plus, since when do Hollows travel all the way to Europe?"

Red frowned and turned to Bleach, who shared the same expression. They would agree that that was odd. There was no plausible reason for a Hollow to be in Europe. The Gotei 13 had a division to ensure that. He turned to the dark haired boy, who walked over to his brother's sleeping form. Raven had a look of displeasure on his face.

"Someone sent that Hollow. Either to kill the students or cause havoc, I'm not sure."

"You really think someone could control them?" Bleach asked.

"Why not?" the other boy started, "Aizen could control an army of them. Plus, Hollows are close cousins to Dementors and dark wizards can control those things. I'm not worried about that though. I'm worried that something worse might be on the way."

The three boys stood in silence. Raven had made quick work of the Hollow using a bigger blast. However, if someone could control Hollows and they decided to send more powerful ones, then they might be in trouble.

A hoot brought Raven's attention to the ceiling. Hedwig flew down to her master and landed on his arm. There was a note attached to her leg. Gently, and painfully for him, Raven pulled out the note. He looked it over carefully before smiling a little.

"Well. At least we have some good news. Autumn wants us to meet her on the fourth floor tomorrow."

"Really? Do you know why?"

"No. I just know I need some sleep after dealing with that Hollow." Raven turned and limped toward the grant hall. Bleach hurried over to help his friend. Red started over, but Raven had other ideas.

"Don't forget to take Nicholas back with you to the tower."

Red blinked as he saw the big grin on his friend's retreating form.

"HEY! NO FAIR DAMN IT!"


End file.
